SOCIAL SECURITY FOR INDIA'S ELDERLY: OLD AGE PENSION POLICIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS
Rakesh Babu
Law
December 2023
It's critical to observe and exhibit senior people's quality of life to give them the lifestyle they deserve. This essay examines the evolution of the social security and pension programmes offered by the Indian government for the enjoyment and well-being of senior citizens and other elderly persons. A cross-sectional survey of 360 adults 60 years of age and above was carried out at a secondary care facility in a rural part of Delhi. A semi-structured timetable that had been pretested and created in the local language was employed. SPSS software (version 17.0) was used to analyses the data. Any statistical relationship between category variables was examined using the chi-square test. If the p-value for the results was less than 0.05, they were deemed statistically significant. The study population consisted primarily of females (54.2%), Hindus (89.7%), married (60.3%), and unemployed (82.8%) individuals. Of the subjects, 286 (79.4%) were aware of the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), while 193 (53.6%) were aware of the Annapurna scheme. Of the 223 participants who did not meet the poverty level, 179 (80.3%) knew about IGNOAPS, and 112 (50.2%) were making use of it. No correlation was found between awareness and the following variables: family structure, marital status, religion, occupation, or caste (p>0.05). Major obstacles that were mentioned included bureaucratic red tape and corruption. Any social security system or measure should have the following essential components: raising awareness, giving information on how to contact the relevant authority to use the programme, and streamlining administrative processes. About 45% of the eligible subjects in the current study were using pension systems, and 79.4% of the elderly were aware of them. Two of the biggest obstacles to the use of schemes were reportedly bureaucratic red tape and unscrupulous practices.
© Airo Journals 2021
