Govt mulling hike in maintenance amount for senior citizens

The government is planning to increase the maintenance amount for senior citizens under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (MWPSC) Act, 2007.
It also intends to put in place minimum standards and a rating mechanism for organisations providing home care services to senior citizens.
"As per the provisions of the MWPSC Act, the amount of monthly maintenance for a parent or senior citizen that can be ordered by the Maintenance Tribunal as payable by children or relative cannot exceed Rs 10,000.
"This is considered inadequate and hence in order to provide for a more reasonable amount of maintenance, we are planning to increase the current ceiling of Rs 10,000," Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot said.

Noting that at present there is no uniform prescribed standard for organisations providing home care services to the elderly people, he said, "Therefore it is proposed to lay down minimum standards and a rating mechanism for organisations providing home care services to senior citizens."
The minister said the existing scheme on construction of hostels for SC girl students, under the Pradhan Mantri Vidya Shakti Yojna, will be strengthened and modified to include setting up of residential schools for SC girls studying in class VI to Class XII to reduce their dropout rate.

"Priority would be initially given to educationally backward blocks. In order to promote inclusive education, while 70 per cent seats would be reserved for SC girls, balance would be open to girls from other communities," Gehlot said, adding his ministry has got an increase of nearly 5.20 per cent in its budgetary allocation for the next fiscal.

"In the year 2016-17, the department has given a strong push for digital transactions. Almost 54 per cent of the budget has been spent on scholarship for Scheduled Castes and around 60 lakh beneficiaries across several scholarship schemes received this scholarship amount in digital mode.
"Also, around 53 lakh beneficiaries under the Backward class and OBC category were given scholarship through digital mode," Gehlot said.