JK to put in place comprehensive elderly care system

The Jammu and Kashmir administration will put in place a comprehensive elderly care system, which would include establishment of old age homes and a senior citizens welfare fund, an official said Friday.

Secretary, Social Welfare, Farooq Ahmad Lone on Friday reviewed the modalities for ensuring effective implementation of J&K Maintenance & Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act-2014 which provides for a comprehensive legal framework for elderly care system in the state, a spokesperson said.

Apart from establishment of old age homes and senior citizens welfare fund, the Act also provides for constitution of maintenance tribunal, appellate tribunal, state advisory council and conciliation officers to address the issues of senior citizens, he said.

Officials said the proposals for establishment of maintenance and appellate tribunals have been moved to the Planning and Finance Department by the administrative department.

Till formal appointments, the officials concerned shall be designated as conciliation officers in their areas of jurisdiction while district social welfare officers shall be designated as maintenance officers, they said.

The spokesperson said an old age home project, with a corpus of Rs 9.73 crore, is in progress in Jammu and all deputy commissioners have been asked to identify land at the earliest for establishment of old-age homes in their areas.