India's elderly population to double by 2050, UNFPA report says

According to a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report, India's elderly population will double in size by 2050, underscoring the need to strengthen social security, including old-age pensions, in a country where the majority of workers are employed in the unorganized sector, which does not offer such benefits.

According to the India Ageing Report 2023, there were 149 million Indians aged 60 and over in 2022, or roughly 10.5% of the total population. The survey predicted that by 2050, there will be 347 million senior people, or 20.8% of the population.

According to the survey, a person can anticipate to live another 18.3 years after turning 60, which is greater for ladies at 19 years compared to males at 17.5 years. According to the survey, women in India are more prone than men to depend on their spouses for financial stability and experience more hardships once the partner passes away.

According to its website, the UNFPA, the organization for sexual and reproductive health within the United Nations, collaborates with more than 150 nations.

According to the paper, economic dependency is strongly related to aging due to income loss and rising healthcare costs.

The majority of workers in India are employed in the unorganized sector and do not have access to social benefits like pensions and health insurance. According to the Longitudinal Ageing Survey of India 2017–18, which was included in the study, 16.3% of old males received social pensions, compared to approximately 11% who received pensions from their prior employment. In the case of women, only 1.7% received a pension from prior employment, compared to 27.4% who received a social pension.

According to the UNFPA's analysis of pension and income, 18.7% of older individuals have no source of income. The percentage of elderly people in this category was higher in 17 states than the national average, with the highest percentages found in Uttarakhand (19.3%), Bengal (25.5%), Uttar Pradesh (27.7%), Jammu and Kashmir (38.9%), Arunachal Pradesh (42.2%), and Lakshadweep (42.4%).

For the aged, the Union government administers the National Social Assistance Programme. The NSAP has three sub-schemes. The Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme gives below-poverty-line seniors between the ages of 60 and 79 a monthly payment of Rs 200. The Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme gives physically disabled adults over the age of 18 a monthly payment of Rs 300. The Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme gives widows over the age of 40 a monthly payment of Rs 300.

Beneficiaries in all of these groups begin receiving Rs 500 per month once they turn 80.

Furthermore, seniors over 65 who are not receiving social security benefits are entitled to 10 kg of free grain every month.

The UNFPA report included interviews with a number of senior citizens.

"Although the elderly continued to receive assistance from the government in the form of food rations and social pensions without much difficulty, the majority of them claimed that this was insufficient to meet the challenges of rising living expenses in the face of an economic downturn and so they sought more in terms of

Support for livelihoods," the report stated.

According to Nikhil Dey, national convenor of the civil society organization Pension Parishad, the group has been calling for an increase in the social pension to equal half of the federally mandated minimum wage.

"Since 2007, the central government scheme's monthly pension amounts of Rs 200 and Rs 300 have remained unchanged. It is a sign of callousness and cruelty, according to Dey, that the central government gives its personnel a 42 percent dearness allowance on their salaries while paying no attention to the elderly.

"The only voice the elderly have is through their votes. Any government that mistreats the elderly will be held accountable, according to Dey.

According to the UNFPA research, enrolling in social security programs requires administrative steps, considerable paperwork, and physical attendance at offices. The elderly are frequently unable to meet these standards, and few people are aware of the programs, it was added.