Elderly population in India is being neglected

Newsweek has studied the problems of an aging population in India and proposed measures to address them. According to Punaam Mutriya, director of the Population Foundation of India, by 2056, the population over 65 will exceed the number of children under 15.

One of the main problems is the shrinking working-age population. As young people support their elderly relatives, pressure on the economy increases and its growth rate may slow.

At the same time, there is a social exclusion of the elderly. In some families, the elderly are subjected to cruel treatment, even being left unattended on the streets. According to Dr. JP Bhagat, many elderly people are forced to live in difficult conditions.

Widows and elderly women in rural areas often lack property, income, and access to health care. Their low economic activity exacerbates the problem.

Southern states (Kerala, Tamil Nadu) have high wealth and low birth rates, while northern states (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh) are facing overpopulation.

Experts have developed a number of recommendations as a solution.

According to him, developing social security systems for the elderly population;

Improving education, employment, and health care for women;

Developing education and healthcare systems in the northern states;

Strengthening elderly care systems in the southern regions.

Mutriya says that if India does not invest in human capital, it may miss out on the demographic dividend.