No country for old people

India needs a comprehensive social security system

At first glance, the Assam government’s decision to set up a three-member commission called PRANAM (Parents Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring) sounds absurd. The commission will adjudicate pay cuts for employees who do not take care of their dependent elderly parents and physically challenged siblings. This follows a decision in October last year to link geriatric care to state employees’ pay. If the employee is found guilty of ignoring their dependent parents or siblings, 10 to 15 per cent of their pay is liable to be deducted and deposited in the parents/siblings’ bank account. Several obvious questions arise: