SC directs adequate Care, support for Senior Citizens

On Tuesday, the Apex Court made it compulsory for the Centre, the States & the native administration to take measures to make sure care & support for senior citizens, particularly these dwelling alone or quarantined, through the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan ordered that the Govts have to reply promptly to the wants of senior citizens & make sure that they don’t endure financially. The States ought to make important items & companies simply accessible to senior citizens who’re quarantined or dwelling alone. They must not endure any hardship as a result of lack of a support mechanism.

Senior Lawyer Ashwani Kumar, who moved the court docket, stated many aged individuals have been battling loneliness & despair.

The lockdown of the previous months & social isolation imposed have been telling on senior citizens, leaving a lot of them within the grip of hysteria, Mr. Kumar, an Ex-Union Law Minister, said.

In a sequence of instructions, the Court docket ordered the States to reply promptly as & when senior citizens, particularly these dwelling alone, make requests.

It directed that caregivers in old-age properties ought to put on private safety gear (PPE) & comply with correct sanitation procedures.

Pension provision
It, importantly, burdened that senior citizens ought to proceed to obtain their pension without fail.

Mr. Kumar additionally requested whether or not there’s any cap on hospital fees accessible for senior citizens.

The Centre & the States have been requested to file their responses.

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