When the Senior Citizens' Commission comes into being
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An institution with quasi-judicial powers named the Kerala Senior Citizen Commission is coming into being in the state. The bill regarding this was passed the other day in the legislative assembly. The senior citizen commission under the social justice department by the government is established by recognising that a mechanism is necessary to give guidelines and assistance regarding the welfare and protection of senior citizens as well as their rehabilitation and other needs. This is the first such initiative in the country, and while presenting the bill in the assembly, Minister R. Bindu described it as the beginning of a new era. Recently, the discussions regarding the life and security of senior citizens have been active for many reasons. It has already been acknowledged that special attention is needed in this sector, and the government has announced a policy framework in this regard. It is as the first step of this initiative that this senior citizen commission is established. The government's initiative to provide a platform for senior citizens to ask questions and express themselves at a time when discussions related to their lives and security are in focus, must indeed be welcomed.
Kerala has previously undertaken similar exemplary moves. The transgender policy under the second Oommen Chandy tenure was one such initiative. During the same tenure, the Youth Commission was also established. These systems have succeeded to a great extent in considering each segment in society and identifying their needs to act accordingly. Even though the quasi-judicial systems like the Women's Commission, Child Rights Commission, and Minority Commission carry some weaknesses in functioning, they have contributed to creating a positive impact. Therefore, the Senior Citizen Commission can also be viewed with expectation. We can hope that the increasing problems like neglect, exploitation, and abandonment faced by senior citizens will be addressed by the Commission. It can also be turned into a platform that can use the knowledge and experience senior citizens have. In that sense, as the minister described, this is indeed the beginning of a new era. This should be approached as a resource pool capable of providing sense of direction to many missions during this time.
In Kerala, an initiative like the Senior Citizen Commission is indeed a need of the hour. South India, in general, is on the path of population depletion. Specifically in Kerala, the rate of depletion is much higher. The state has witnessed a major decline in fertility rate (Total Fertility Rate – TFR). TFR is the average number of children born to a couple. In the 1960s, India's TFR was around 4.5, meaning each couple had an average of 4 children. Currently, it has dropped to 1.98; in Kerala, it is 1.8. Ten years ago, Kerala reported about five lakh births annually, which has now decreased to three and a half lakh. On the other hand, the life expectancy of Kerala increased, with the average life expectancy in Kerala now above 77 years. It is the result of health advancements the state achieved. However, the flip side is that the number of youth in the state is decreasing, while the senior citizen population is increasing. Currently, 17% of the state's population is above 60 years of age, whereas only 7% of Bihar's and 8% of UP's state populations fall under the senior citizen category. In ten years, these states may see a natural growth of 1-2% in the elderly population. But in the case of Kerala, it will rise sharply. One-fourth of the state population will be senior citizens. This can create economic and social complexities. To counter these issues that we are going to face in the near future, a variety of mechanisms are needed. May the recently announced Senior Citizens Commission may be the beginning of that.