Hello fellows! Hope you all are doing well. Today, this blog is all about the Quality of Life for the Elderly Index. It was released by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).
The share of elders, as a percentage of the total population in India, is expected to increase from around 7.5% in 2001 to almost 12.5% by 2026, and surpass 19.5% by 2050.
Aim:
The Index has been created by the Institute for Competitiveness at the request of EAC-PM and it sheds light on an issue- problems faced by the elderly.
- It presents a deeper insight into how well India is doing to support the well-being of its ageing population.
- It identifies the regional patterns of ageing across the Indian States and assesses the overall ageing situation in India.
- The Index framework includes four pillars:
- Financial Well-being
- Social Well-being
- Health System
- Income Security
Also, the Sub Pillars include – Economic Empowerment, Educational Attainment & Employment, Social Status, Physical Security, Basic Health, Psychological well-being, Social Security and Enabling Environment.
Need of the framework & pillars:
The pillar-wise analyses help States assess the state of the elderly population and identify existing gaps that obstruct their growth.
It highlights that the best way to improve the lives of the current and future generations of older people is by investing in health, education and employment for young people today.
Features of the Index:
- This index broadens the way to understand the needs and opportunities of the elderly population in India.
- It goes far beyond the adequacy of pensions and other forms of income support, which, though critical, often narrows policy thinking and debate about the needs of this age group.
Pillar-wise performance:
- The Health System pillar observes the highest national average, 66.97 at an all-India level, followed by 62.34 in Social Well-being.
- Financial Well-being observes a score of 44.7. It is at a lower stage due to the low performance of 21 States across the Education Attainment & Employment pillar, which showcases scope for improvement.
- States have performed particularly worse in the Income Security pillar because over half of the States have a score below the national average in Income Security, which is the lowest across all pillars.
State-wise assessment:
Rajasthan is the top scorer in the aged states’ category, with an elderly population of more than 5 million.
Himachal Pradesh leads in the Relatively-Aged States section (below 5 million population).
Mizoram leads in the North Eastern States category and Chandigarh among all UTs.
Jammu and Kashmir have the lowest score of 46.16 among Union Territories.
Arunachal Pradesh, among the northeastern states, scored the lowest score with 46.16.
Schemes for the Welfare of Old-Aged in India :
- Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojna
- Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY)
- National Programme for the Health Care of the ElderlyPradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
- Senior Citizens Welfare Fund
- Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme
So, with this, we came to the end of this detailed blog. For more such interesting & informative blogs, stay tuned.
Thank you!
