As per demographic studies, India will be having 13% of its
population above the age of 60 by the year 2025. Since we
have a population of nearly 116 crores as on date and
going by the rate of 2.5% growth every year and taking deaths into
account, the actual above 60 age group can easily be in the region of 15
crores. The present life expectancy is 64 for males and 67 for females
and will be further improving by 4-5 years in view of the advancements
in medical science.
Again there is the issue of gender imbalance—there are only
927 women as against 1,000 men in India. This is only the
national average. In some states in the Northeast, it is still worse. Women
of the age of 60 to 80 are more in every state as their longevity is
high. At the same time, the illiteracy level among women is high,
adding to the problems.
As per the National Policy for Older Persons, Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment, around 33% of our population is below the
poverty line. Again, out of them, 30% are people aged 60 and above, 50%
are elderly people who are fully dependent on others, while 20% are
partially dependent. Women are more dependent, given their lower
literacy rate and higher incidence of widowhood. A majority of these people belong to the socially weaker sections
and come under the unorganized labor segment. |
