The Bombay high court on Wednesday asked a petitioner to suggest measures, in writing, that the state should undertake to ensure the welfare of senior citizens.
The Bombay high court on Wednesday asked a petitioner to suggest measures, in writing, that the state should undertake to ensure the welfare of senior citizens.
A division bench of Justices Shantanu Kemkar and Makrand Karnik on Wednesday asked advocate Siddharth Murarka of Mission Justice, an NGO, to give his suggestions in writing while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Mission Justice that has sought proper publicity for the Maintenance and Welfare of the Parents and Senior Citizens Act and its effective implementation.
According to advocate Murarka, the government is claiming that it has provided useful data for senior citizens online and they could take help from that, but he himself tried to find such data but failed to find anything that could be helpful for senior citizens.
He told the bench that even if the government provides details of schemes and facilities available for senior citizens online, it would be very difficult for elderly people to reach this information. He said that most senior citizens do not use the Internet or smart phones, and so it would not be convenient for them to know about the schemes that are meant for them.
Advocate Murarka suggested that it would be more helpful if the government gives wide publicity to schemes for elderly people in newspapers or on television, since they read and watch the news.
He further suggested that a list of rights of senior citizens and contact numbers of local police stations and banks located in their areas should be pasted in banks and local housing societies.
