The 'National Conference on Ageing' will bring together representatives of all state governments, key union ministries, organisations working in this sector and several imminent citizens to dwell upon the issues faced by senior citizens, a senior official from SJ&E Ministry said.
"The conference has been divided into four themes concerning older persons.The sessions will be chaired by senior officials from several ministries and organisations to shed light on the programs conducted by them for senior citizens and its response," he said.
The themes decided for the conference- planned for the first week of November- are Social and Economic Security of Older Persons, Health care, Family and Community Care, and focus on Special Elderly Groups consisting of senior citizens above 80 years.
"Senior officials from ministries such as Home Affairs, Labour and Employment, Finance, Health and Rural Development, Planning Commission have been invited for conducting fruitful discussions over the policies concerning older persons," the official said.
For holding discussions on pension and insurance schemes for senior citizens, SJ&E Ministry has invited representatives from pension and insurance regulatory authorities.
NGO's dealings with United Nation's mandate for senior citizens have also been invited for the conference.
"We have sent a special invitation to the Delhi Police to discuss physical security of these vulnerable people," he said.
Several groups and sub-groups will be formed to conduct in-depth discussions and analyse the issues covered in the four original themes.
"These group and sub-groups will present their recommendations and findings on the second day of the conference," the official said.
During the course of discussion, the conference will also review various aspects related to senior citizens (Maintenance, Protection and Welfare) Act in various states and ways to ensure that it is implemented effectively.
"Several states have yet not followed all the provisions of this act even after repeated reminders from the SJ&E Ministry.The Ministry will once again request these states to ensure its through implementation," he said.
The Conference will be inaugurated by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Mukul Wasnik who will also chair the final round of discussion on the second day.
