Elderly Population Essay

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Elderly population (aged 60 years & above) in India [in millions]

Source Total Rural Urban Person Female Male
Census 1961 24.7 12.4 12.4 21.0 3.7
Census 1971 32. 15.8 16.9 27.3 5.4
Census 1981 43.2 21.1 22.0 34.7 8.5
Census 1991 56.7 27.3 29.4 44.3 12.4
Census 2001 76.6 38.9 37.8 57.4 19.2
Census 2011 103.8 52.8 51.1 73.3 30.6

The above statistical table reflects that the number of elderly population was 24.7 million as per census 1961. It was 32.7 million as per 1971 census, 43.2 million as per 1981 census, 56.7 million as per 1991 census, 76.6 million as per 2001 census and 103.8 million as per 2011 census. So, the number of elderly persons is gradually increasing day by day in our country. However, this gradual growth of elderly population …show more content…

The elderly people are greatly respected in the family and they use to take all important decisions of the family. Children take the suggestions of elders in the family at the time of major decision and hands over their incomes to the parents for proper and prudent utilization of their funds. But, due to influence of western culture and certain other factors, this century old socio economic tradition and the value system has gradually been eroding. Relation between human beings in the society is gradually fading away. Today’s youths are very much interested in nuclear family where they don’t know anybody except husband, wife and children. Joint family concept has been faded away from the society more or less. Again, life expectancy of elderly people in the society has also increased to a great extent than earlier. All these have added to abuse, neglect, poverty, sufferings and abandonment of elderly persons in the family by their children and dear and near ones. However, in our country the legal instruments to protect the elderly people are as below:
(a). Indian Constitution-
Article 41- The state shall, within the limits of economic capacity and development, make effective provision for securing the right to work, to education and to public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement, and in other cases of undeserved want .
Article 46 – The State shall promote with special care the education and economic interest of the weaker sections of the people, and in particular of the scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes, and to protect them from social injustice and of all forms of exploitation

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