Relevance
- GS 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States
Context
- Recently, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has launched Senior Able Citizens for Re Employment in Dignity (SACRED) Portal for the elderly citizens.
Elderly Population Of India: Expert Committee On Longevity Finance
Key points
- It is aimed to bring the employment seeker senior citizens and employment providers on one platform.
- It aims at devising ways to ensure Senior Citizens live healthy, happy, empowered, dignified and self-reliant life.
- 10 Cr would be provided for funding for the platform development along with maintenance grant of Rs. 2 Cr per year for 5 years.
- Web portal will be developed through NIC (National Informatics Centre).
- There will be adequate publicity both among elders and enterprises to enrol on the portal.
Scope of the portal
- An individual senior citizen will get oneself registered on the portal with his relevant education, past experience, skills and the areas of interest.
- Any job provider – individual / firm/ company/Voluntary Organisation etc. can also register on the portal. The job provider will specify the task involved and the number of senior citizens that are required to complete.
- The Employment Exchange Portal will not be a guarantee for getting an employment or selling of the products of the SHGs. It will act as an interactive platform where stakeholders meet each other virtually and decide on the course of action with mutual respect, consent and understanding.
Quality of Life for Elderly Index
Why needed?
- The number of elderly persons increased from 1.98 crore in 1951 to 7.6 crore in 2001 and 38 crore in 2011.
- General improvement in the health care facilities over the years is one of the main reasons for continuing increase in proportion of population of senior citizens.
- More than 50% senior citizens are found active as per the LASI report 2020.
- The traditional norms and values of the Indian society laid stress on showing respect and providing care for the aged. However, in recent times, society is witnessing a gradual but definite decline of the joint family system, as a result of which a large number of parents are being neglected by their families exposing them to lack of emotional, physical and financial support.
- These older persons are facing a lot of problems in the absence of adequate social security.