RN Mital, chairman of the conference said to India CSR Network, “The objective of the conference is to unite senior citizens and to make them aware of their Human Rights.”
HYDERABAD: Rusen Kumar, a social entrepreneur and well-known CSR Leader, addressed the 18th All India Senior Citizens Conference themed ‘Social Security of Senior Citizens’ held in Hyderabad on November 29-30, 2018 organized by All India Senior Citizens’ Confederation (AISCCON) hosted by Association of Senior Citizen of Hyderabad in the leadership of RN Mital, Chairman of conference.
Around 2000 senior citizens from various states of India participated in this annual forum making it one of the largest gatherings.
The talk of Rusen Kumar was focused on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the welfare and care of elderly people. He said that giving social, economic, emotional security and dignity to elderly people is the collective responsibility of the enabled and awakened society.
He said that CSR contributions recently made by Indian business houses should be ploughed towards the care of elderly people are very less and almost negligible. The issues related to the care of elderly people are relatively new for the business community but it is gaining momentum among CSR leaders and professionals.
He suggested that organizations working for the welfare of the old age people should adopt a problem-solving attitude while approaching CSR foundations to attract CSR projects and must have detailed project reports of planning, phased manner execution, monitoring, impact and evaluation. India needs better social infrastructure to deal with.
Rusen Kumar, founder of India CSR Network, the largest CSR media company, emphasized that there is an urgent need to spread awareness of contemporary issues and problems being faced by elderly people. A special sensitization programme among the youth population is required.
He suggested that greater awareness creation of the Senior Citizen Act, 2007; a national toll-free number, multipurpose elderly care centers in districts across the nation, and weekly program on DD national channels and FM radios can help a lot in sensitizing and making aware the masses.
According to the 2011 Census, there were an estimated 10.5 crore elderly in India, making it the second largest age pollution in the world, and by 2050 the figure is expected to reach 32.4 crore. India spends 0.032% of GDP on the welfare of the elderly population. Recent Governments have launched various welfare schemes for senior citizens.
The conference was inaugurated by the Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu who said that India traditionally enjoyed a robust joint family system and the fast-changing socio-economic conditions were leading to its disintegration. He expressed concern over the neglect and abuse of elderly people across the country. He also urged the companies to expand their CSR activities by including elders’ issues.
RN Mital, chairman of the conference said to India CSR Network, “The objective of the conference is to unite senior citizens and to make them aware of their Human Rights.”
D N Chapke, president of AISCCON informed that the organization is the largest body of senior citizens with a membership of around 15 lakhs and works towards improving the welfare of senior citizens.
Dr. K.R. Gangadharan and Hanumatha Rao chaired the session ‘CSR and Elder Care’. Session includes esteemed speakers – RN Mital Chairman AISCCON News Council (Indifference towards elder-friendly causes), M. K. Raina (Role of local government & local Bodies), D. Narula (Problems of elders which can be solved by CSR), Manoharlal Baharani (CSR and Corporate Houses).
The two-day program featured five technical sessions with learned speakers who highlighted the multiple challenges of senior citizens. Speakers also shared their experiences of ongoing elderly care programs. Social security, dignity and the concerns of the said issues were deeply deliberated during the sessions.
(India CSR)
