Elderly In Focus: Delhi Govt To Form Senior Citizen Welfare Committee To Ensure Their Well-Being

Senior citizens in Delhi have more than one reason to rejoice. After launching the Ayushman Bharat Yojana this month for all eligible beneficiaries, including senior citizens aged 70 years and above, the government is set to form a senior citizen welfare committee to ensure the welfare of older people in the state.

It will be the second state after Kerala to establish such a committee. On March 20, 2025, the Kerala government passed the law and formed a new commission for seniors to ensure their welfare, protect their rights, and provide support for their rehabilitation.

Regarding this, Delhi Assembly speaker Vijendra Gupta wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “I shared that Delhi Vidhan Sabha is actively considering setting up a dedicated committee for senior citizens' welfare and rights, along with insights on Delhi’s NeVA-driven digital reforms.”

The committee is expected to be set up in the first week of May this year. As of now, there are 24 committees in the Delhi Assembly, reported PTI. The speaker also asked the Delhi secretary to study Kerala’s model and evaluate a similar model for the Delhi Assembly.

The delegation from Kerala’s committee shared the rules and regulations with Gupta starting from the formation of the committee to the welfare schemes for seniors in the state. In Delhi, the committee will comprise nine-members.

A committee focused on seniors’ rights and welfare is expected to support seniors in distress and bring schemes for seniors’ betterment.

The welfare theme includes more than rehabilitation and safeguarding their rights for Kerala’s commission. The welfare objective includes providing guidelines for handling issues like neglect, loneliness, and exploitation of seniors. The agenda of the commission also includes taking initiatives like utilising the skills of seniors for the benefit of society.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, While forming the commission in Kerala in March this year, highlighted that the commission’s focus is not only to float the scheme but also to ensure that seniors actively participate in the implementation of these schemes.

If similar guidelines are adopted in Delhi commission for seniors’ welfare, seniors in Delhi could expect better services in future.

The senior population is growing in India every year. According to the India Ageing Report 2023, by United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), the elderly population in India is expected to grow from 10.5 per cent of the total population in 2022 to reach 20.8 per cent in 2050, to around 347 million.

Considering this, focusing on seniors’ needs, rights, and welfare is the need of the hour.