"We have a large number of growing and vulnerable segment of elderly which the government and the society seem awfully ill-equipped to manage," he said while speaking at 'International Day of Older Persons' organized by HelpAge India.
Though, the well-being of elderly persons has been mandated in the Constitution, the implementation of the Act has been patchy.
"There is a lack of infrastructure to provide specialised attention to growing numbers of elderly. Very few government hospitals in India have specialized geriatrics facility. The off-take from government schemes like the National Programme for Healthcare of the Elderly has also been poor," he said.
He said that rapid urbanization and migration from villages to cities is becoming one of the major causes of increasing insecurity among the elderly.
"The Indian society is undergoing rapid urbanization under the impact of industrialization and globalization. The traditional values and institutions are changing resulting in the weakening of inter-generational ties. Transition from rural agrarian setup to urban industrial way of life, migration from villages to cities and increasingly abroad, forces the young generation to leave their elderly alone back home," the Vice President said.
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