Guwahati: The Assam Pradesh Varishtha Nagarik Sangha on Wednesday urged the govt to restore key benefits for senior citizens, citing growing hardship among the elderly.The organisation’s demands include reinstating railway ticket concessions that were suspended in March 2020, extending comprehensive health insurance coverage under Ayushman Bharat (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) to all senior citizens, addressing pension-related issues for retirees under the Employees Pension Scheme (EPS-95), and issuing dedicated photo identity cards to improve access to welfare measures.Organisation secretary Dipankar Das said, “It is a well known fact that the population of the senior citizens in India is increasing fast. As per the recent survey, the population of senior citizens at the end of Dec 2024 was around 14.90 crore of which the population of females is 52% as against 48% of men’s population. Similarly, the population in rural areas is also more as compared to urban areas.”He said senior citizens in India face problems linked to family, society, economics, health and isolation. “As per reports of one of the agencies, about 70% of the total population of senior citizens is suffering from mental strain,” Das also added.The organisation said the demands were in line with resolutions adopted at its national conference in Jaipur in March 2025, where issues affecting senior citizens across the country were discussed.It also referred to the Supreme Court’s direction to the Union govt to establish fully equipped old age homes at the district level, but maintained that family-based care should remain the primary support system, with institutional care used only as a last resort.
