Bhubaneswar: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was observed by Dept. of SSEPD, Govt. Odisha and HelpAge India at Jaydev Bhawan today. Sri Prafulla Samal, Minister, WCD, Mission Shakti, SSEPD, MSME joined as Chief Guest on the occasion. Minister Sri Samal said “SSEPD Department should see that senior citizen related schemes and policies are implemented properly. There should be stringent action against the perpetrators of elder abuse. Govt. of Odisha is planning to set up Social Security Infrastructure Complexes, which will act as Old Age Homes in every district with a budget of 27 corer each. There should be specialized geriatric section in all general hospitals of the state to cater to the needs of elderly in the state.”
At the outset, Padmasri Bhawani Charan Patnaik, freedom fighter and ex-MP was felicitated by the Minister for his service to the society. In his speech Sri Patnaik talked about role of younger generation to ameliorate the living condition of senior citizens in the society.
Ms. Bharati Chakra, State Head, HelpAge India discussed about the objective of the day and presented the study by HelpAge India “Elder Abuse in India Report -2018”, which clearly speaks that elders are being abused and the main abuser are sons. Also she mentioned that with advancement of technology, elders are feeling lonely and disrespected, while the youngsters are busy in their mobile phones even at home.
Mr. Niten Chandra, Principal Secretary, Dept. of SSEPD mentioned that the Social Security Infrastructure Complexes are being proposed by Govt. of Odisha in all the districts and the process has already begun in Kandhamal, Sambalpur, Puri, Jatani (Khordha), Ganjam, Nawarangpur and Bhadrak district. He also spoked about the Senior Citizens’ Wellness Centre for Senior Citizens being built at BMC Mall, Saheednagar, Bhubaneswar.
Mr. S.K. Upadhaya, ADG, Crime Branch, Odisha Police spoke about the various measures taken up by the Police for safety and security of senior citizens and at the same time requested senior citizens to be alert so that they are not duped easily by criminals. Mr. Sandip Sahu, Correspondent, BBC Media discussed how people active on social media are celebrating different days and at the same time fail to pay attention to own parents at home.
In the open house discussion, the senior citizens present in the meeting put forth their views and opinions on safety and security of senior citizens in the state. While Mr. Ranjay Kumar Das welcomed the guests, Mr. S. Sadangi, Deputy Secretary, Dept. of SSEPD proposed Vote of Thanks.
Comments are closed.