The cabinet approved the draft 'National Policy on Elderly Persons' on November 17, 2013. The policy appears to have been shelved in the cold storage. How long it will take to implement a major cabinet decision is now a big question.
"If we fail to honour our guardians, that is, the elderly, how can we expect to march forward?" asked a young teacher of the Dhaka University.
The cabinet approved the draft 'National Policy on Elderly Persons,' saying that the Law Ministry would specify provisions for ensuring facilities for senior citizens.
According to the policy, people aged 60 years or above will be treated as senior citizens.
The present government has followed the United Nations definition of the elderly who are 60 or above. It accepted the concept of the UN while preparing the National Policy on Older Persons.
The approval of the policy was given in the last meeting of the previous cabinet held at the Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
The cabinet approved the draft policy. It was later sent to the Law Ministry for vetting. The Social Welfare Ministry would have made the policy public, as per the decision.
The National Policy on Elderly Persons, if implemented, would go a long way in honouring the elderly.
It would have ensured dignified, poverty-free, healthy and safe social life for the elderly people. They could get ID cards, health cards, and reserved seats during their travel in buses, trains, steamers, mono rails and ticketing at reduced rates. Some seats of all transports will be kept reserved for elderly people, as it was officially announced.
The National Policy on Elderly Persons could have ensured reduced rates for the elderly for staying at old homes and given them health access vouchers, health service cards for treatment at any hospital at reduced costs and offered higher rates in savings schemes.
Implementation of the policy will surely encourage private initiatives towards ensuring aged persons' welfare alongside government initiatives.
The proposed National Committee, which was tasked by the cabinet to monitor execution of the policy for the elderly is yet to be announced. According to the cabinet decision, the National Committee is to be headed by the Social Welfare minister.
It is time that the National Policy on Elderly Persons was made into a law and the process of its implementation begun. Many countries across the world, including neighbouring India, are giving facilities to the senior citizens aged 60 and above. In India, the elderly get bus, train and air tickets at 40 per cent discount. It should be followed in Bangladesh too.
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Whither national policy on senior citizens?
Rahman Jahangir | Published: July 02, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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