20,000 neighbourhood groups for the elderly

Isaac says local bodies should set aside 5% of Plan fund for geriatric care

Welfare schemes for the elderly and the differently abled deserves all priority and it is up to local self-governments to earmark specific proportions of their Plan allocations for this purpose, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac said while presenting the State Budget 2019-20 in the Assembly here on Thursday.

Local bodies should set aside 5% of the Plan fund — ₹375 crore — towards the care of elderly. “If this amount can be utilised with plan and care, great changes can be effected in the welfare of the elderly,” he said.

Full-fledged day-care homes for the elderly — one in every two or three wards in each panchayat — will be set up, to be supervised by Kudumbashree. These will be centres that will take care of all aspects of rehabilitation, including entertainment and recreation, for the elderly.

Under the aegis of Kudumbashree 20,000 neighbourhood groups for the elderly will be started this financial year and each of the neighbourhood group will receive ₹5, 000 as grant.

Those who are staying alone will be included in the Snehitha Calling Bell Scheme and Kudumbashree workers will visit their homes once a week. Geriatric councils consisting of pensioners’ organisations, Kudumbashree, and palliative / health workers will be established in all local government institutions.

Welfare schemes

An amount of ₹30 crore has been earmarked for the ‘Sayamprabha’ and ‘Vayomithram’ schemes of the Social Justice Department. An amount of ₹10 crore is earmarked for creating geriatric-friendly environment in hospitals.

A total amount of ₹244 crore is set apart for welfare schemes of the differently abled through different departments such as Social Justice, Education, Health and Local Self-Governments. An amount of ₹500 crore has been set aside for disbursing disability pensions, Mr. Isaac said.

Kerala has set a model for the rest of the country by tackling disability right from pre-natal stage through appropriate screening programmes. An amount of ₹60 crore has been earmarked for such initiatives under three programmes — Arogya Kiranam, Special Initiatives in Disability, and cochlear implantation for the aurally challenged.

Mr. Isaac also announced that all welfare pensions currently disbursed by the State would be increased by ₹100.

An amount of ₹31 crore has also been allocated for Autism Parks and schemes through which differently abled children are helped to come into the mainstream and study with other students.