Inadequate pensions leave India's elderly no choice but to work

Over a third of India's elderly people - 38% - continue to work

Kamla Devi (not her real name), of advanced but uncertain age, lives in Lohari, a remote adivasi village located inside a wildlife sanctuary in Udaipur, Rajasthan. On a summer day in 2016, we approached her as she was chasing after a small herd of goats, to ask questions as part of a study on the relation between ageing, paid work and pensions.

Our very first question–whether she was a beneficiary of the government’s non-contributory pension scheme for the aged–irritated her. She explained that she was indeed a beneficiary but did not want