Recently the world marked the special day for ‘Old Age People’ but Government’s plan of setting old age homes in six districts and provision of granting financial assistance to abandoned senior citizens by their wards remains neglected.
The file including the details was forwarded to Social Welfare Minister Annapurna Devi in September but no action has been taken till date. Official sources in the department on Monday said decisions over the matter cannot be taken unless secretary of the department returns from election duty.
“Our secretary Rajeev Arun Ekka is deployed in Nagpur on election duty. He is likely to return by October 19. Once he returns meetings on the old age home and benefits can be planned out,” said an officer on the condition of anonymity on Monday.
“None of the officers have been consulted ever since the documents are pending at Minister’s place,” the official added relating the excuse of Durga Puja and Bakri-Eid holidays. Immediate action on the process seems doubtful as the model of conduct will be declared in the state for the upcoming state assembly elections by the end of this month.
Notably, Chief Minister Hemant Soren in his last celebrated Independence Day speech had said the state government is working on setting up of old age homes in six districts in name of Shravan Ashram. Also, he had added that presently, old age homes at Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Giridih and Hazaribagh are being established in government buildings with the help of NGOs.
Apart from homes, the cabinet had approved the Jharkhand State Parents livelihood Welfare Regulation, 2014. According to the regulation the children will have to pay a livelihood amount up to Rs 10,000 to their parents if they are not willing to stay with them.
“There are many more benefits for senior citizens in the file sent to the minister. Unless, a meeting specifically for the issue is not conducted and finalized in the social welfare department, we cannot initiate for the implementation,” an officer at the social welfare directorate pointed out.
The role of social welfare directorate is to execute and plan while the department’s responsibility is to complete the grassroot works of a particular matter and then share it with the former.