The Right to Grow Old

-Bruhaspati Samal-

Ageing is not a disease; it is the destination of a successful life. Every wrinkle carries a story, every grey hair a memory, and every ageing hand reminds us of work once done for family, society and the nation. The true character of a civilisation is therefore revealed not by how it treats the powerful in the prime of their lives, but by how it treats those who have grown old. On 1 October 2026, the United Nations observes the International Day of Older Persons under the theme “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives.” The theme asks humanity to confront a profound reality: we have succeeded in extending life, but must now ensure that those additional years are lived with health, security, dignity and purpose. The global population aged 60 and above has reached about 1.2 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050, around one-fifth of humanity.

The recognition of ageing as a global social issue has evolved over decades. The United Nations General Assembly designated 1 October as the International Day of Older Persons in 1990, following the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing adopted in 1982. The UN Principles for Older Persons followed in 1991, and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing in 2002. These milestones represented an important philosophical shift—from treating older persons primarily as recipients of charity to recognising them as rights-holders, citizens and contributors. That principle is more relevant today than ever. An elderly person is not merely someone who needs care; he or she is someone who has contributed to society and retains the right to participate in it.

India is now entering a profound ageing transition. Government projections show that the population aged 60 and above is expected to rise from 10 crore in 2011 to 23 crore by 2036, while its share of the population will increase from 8.4% to 14.9%. During the same period, the proportion of children below 15 is projected to fall from 30.9% to 20.1%. The UNFPA India Ageing Report 2023 projects that the elderly population could rise from 10.4% of India's population in 2022 to 20.8% by 2050, potentially reaching 36% by the end of the century. These numbers are more than demographic indicators. They signal a fundamental transformation of Indian society. An ageing India will require corresponding changes in pensions, healthcare, employment, housing, transport and social protection.

The most immediate question is income security in old age. Longer life necessarily means a longer period requiring financial protection after employment ends. Yet India's smaller families, migration, urbanisation and changing employment patterns are weakening traditional family-based support. Millions remain outside formal pension systems. Under IGNOAPS, central assistance remains ₹200 per month for those aged 60–79 and ₹500 for those aged 80 and above, subject to BPL eligibility, with more than 2.21 crore beneficiaries covered. Such assistance has value, but it also exposes the enormous gap between subsistence support and genuine income security. Pension is not charity. For those who have completed a lifetime of service, it represents deferred economic security; for vulnerable elderly people outside formal employment, social pension represents a basic instrument of social citizenship. If longevity is to be celebrated, old age cannot simultaneously become a period of financial anxiety.

Healthcare presents an equally serious challenge. According to the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), 23.8% of Indians aged 60 and above have at least one limitation in Activities of Daily Living, indicating varying degrees of care dependency. India has taken significant steps, including extending ₹5 lakh annual health cover under Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY to all citizens aged 70 and above, irrespective of socio-economic status. The National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly has also expanded, with functional districts increasing from 595 in 2020–21 to 722 in 2024–25. Yet an ageing nation needs more than insurance and hospitals. It requires accessible geriatric medicine, preventive healthcare, rehabilitation, home-based care, palliative care and trained caregivers. Adding years to life without adding health and dignity to those years would be only half the achievement.

The elderly must also be freed from the stereotype of being merely dependent. They remain workers, caregivers, mentors, professionals, volunteers and custodians of institutional memory. Government National Career Service data showed 1.89 lakh job seekers aged above 60 registered on the portal, alongside 1.68 lakh vacancies identified as suitable for senior citizens in July 2026. But this should not become an excuse to compel elderly people to work because retirement income is inadequate. The right to work and the right to retire with dignity must coexist. Those who wish to remain professionally active should have suitable opportunities; those who have completed their working lives should have the security to retire without fear. India's celebrated demographic dividend must eventually be complemented by an experience dividend, recognising the knowledge and social capital of older citizens.

Rethinking systems for longer lives also means creating an age-friendly society. Housing, transport, roads, public offices, banking and digital services must be accessible to older citizens. Technology should simplify life, not create another barrier between elderly people and the State. Particular attention is required for elderly women, widows, persons with disabilities and those living alone. India's Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, together with programmes such as the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana and the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly, provides an institutional foundation. But the scale of demographic change demands a comprehensive national ageing framework backed by adequate resources and effective implementation.

There is also a deeper intergenerational responsibility. The elderly of tomorrow are the workers of today. The pensioner, employee, farmer, teacher, postal worker, nurse, artisan and homemaker who contribute today will eventually experience ageing. Pension, social insurance and healthcare are therefore not issues belonging to one generation. They are investments in everyone's future. A society that weakens old-age security while people are living longer merely transfers today's uncertainty to tomorrow's elderly. The UN's call to rethink pensions, employment, healthcare, housing and lifelong learning is therefore not simply a welfare agenda; it is a blueprint for an ageing society.

The challenge before India is no longer whether it will age. India will age. The question is whether it will prepare for that future with foresight, resources and compassion. The elderly do not seek pity. They seek dignity. They do not ask to be remembered only on 1 October. They ask to be respected every day. The generation that built our present deserves security in our future. Let longevity never become a longer struggle for survival. Let it become a longer chapter of health, security, participation, love and purpose.

The real success of longevity will not be measured simply by how many additional years humanity gains, but by the quality of those years. If India can ensure that an ageing citizen has adequate income, accessible healthcare, social participation and the freedom to live with dignity, then longevity will truly become a triumph of civilization. A nation that protects its elderly is not merely honouring its past—it is securing its own future.

(The author is a Service Union Representative and a Columnist, presently working as the General Secretary, Confederation of Central Govt Employees and Workers and President, Forum of Civil Pensioners' Association / National Coordination Committee of Pensioners' Association, Odisha State Committee)

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