Sr citizens’ policy: Bapat to stage hunger strike

Demanding a separate policy for over five lakh senior citizens’ in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad and over 1.25 crore in the state, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Girish Bapat will hold a token hunger strike from 9 am to 6 pm at Ganesh Kala Krida Kendra on Monday when the senior citizens’ organisations will celebrate International Senior Citizen’s Day.

Bapat said that he had recently met chief minister Prithviraj Chavan along with representatives of various senior citizens’ organisations. Bapat said that the Union government had passed an act in 2007 which is in force in seven union territories and 23 states. He said that Maharashtra should have its own senior citizen’s policy and act on the lines of its pioneering efforts in the field of women’s reservation and sports policy. He said that he would press his demand under the Rajiv Gandhi Health Mission.