Anyone 60 years of age or older is considered an elderly person or senior citizen. There are around 104 million senior people in India, according to the 2011 Population Census. 53 million of the total number mentioned are female, compared to 51 million males. Additionally, according to a report published by the United Nations Population Fund and HelpAge India, there would be 173 million elderly people worldwide by 2026. If this is further broken down, it shows that 76% of adults in the 60–64 age range were married. The remaining 2% were either never married or divorced, while 22% were widowed.
According to these figures, the bulk of these individuals may have enjoyed or are still leading fulfilling lives. They might not, however, have enough savings to see them through their golden years since they live in a nation like India, which has a very high prevalence of illiteracy. According to statistics, the proportion of literate old people climbed from 27% in 1991 to 44% in 2011, which is an improvement but still suggests that a sizable group requires help.
The government devised a number of programmes to help these folks, the senior citizen’s card being the most promising one for this age group. Every person over the age of 60 who participates in this programme receives a card they can use to access any government benefits. Overall, it gives them a modest advantage in terms of the strategies they employ. They can take advantage of a variety of advantages, including large reductions that they cannot obtain through any other system or service.
In what ways can seniors apply for this card?
The process was initially a headache because the older citizen had to fill out and submit a few paperwork in person in addition to travelling to the office. There was also a list of credentials and paperwork they needed to present. Another difficulty was that the information they had dated back a long time, making it laborious to check and make the necessary modifications. In addition, they had to ensure that all the information entered matched all the papers.
They can now complete the process online thanks to system improvements. Although making modifications, completing forms, and uploading certificates on the website might not be very simple, they can be done at their convenience from the comfort of their homes, which is an overall value advertisement. Even a younger person could help them out with the procedure. Not only for senior citizens card, but one could also apply for death certificate, ration card, shramik card etc through online portals.
They additionally benefit from lower interest rates at banks and other financial institutions thanks to the senior citizen’s card. As long as customers use a government service or airline, it also offered savings for travel by car, train, or plane.
