Kerala sets up dedicated department for elderly welfare

Kerala has established a dedicated department for elderly people, aiming to design and implement welfare schemes and coordinate existing programs for the state's steadily rising ageing population.

Kerala on Tuesday set up a dedicated department for elderly people as the state grapples with a steadily rising ageing population, officials said here.

The Congress-led UDF government issued the order a day after its first Cabinet meeting, where it approved the creation of a separate department for senior citizens. Chief Minister V D Satheesan has said the move could be the first of its kind in the country.

The government said the new department would be responsible for designing and implementing fresh welfare schemes for elderly people, as well as coordinating existing programmes meant for their care.

The idea of a separate department for senior citizens was part of the UDF's election manifesto, the official added.

Announcing the decision after the first Cabinet meeting on Monday, Satheesan said the measure reflects how a society values its senior citizens.

''We believe that the way a society respects elderly people is a measure of whether that society is civilised or not,'' he had said.

''Our dream is that one day Kerala can tell the world that we are a civilised society and that we take care of our elderly with dignity,'' he had said.

Satheesan stressed that the government would not allow elderly people to be left alone or neglected.

''We have to protect every elderly person. We will not allow them to be alone. The government is with them. Kerala is with them. That is the message,'' the chief minister had said.