Maharashtra government to shame children who harass senior citizen parents

Those who harass, torture or exploit their elderly parents would soon be exposed by the Maharashtra government. The government will publish their names in newspapers and shame them.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, whose cabinet passed the senior citizens' welfare policy on Monday, said that senior citizens should be allowed to spend their lives with dignity. “The new policy will ensure health, security and housing for aged parents. We will encourage NGOs to come forward and set up retirement homes in large numbers. We will give them land and other incentives. This new law will curb mental and financial exploitation of senior parents by their adult children,” he said.

The state government has framed the policy 13 years after the central government formulated it's senior citizen welfare policy. Almost seven per cent of Maharashtra's population of 11.23 crore are senior citizens. The state's policy is applicable to senior citizen parents who are 65 years old and above. Asha Bajpai, professor at the Tata Institute of Social Science, welcomed the policy.

“Once a senior citizen parent complains about harassment by his children to the police, the government sets up a committee to verify the allegations. If the charges are proved to be true, then we will list their names and publish them in newspapers. This will discourage others from ill-treating their parents,'' Chavan said.

Sonali Sinha, chief operating officer of Dignity Foundation, an NGO dedicated to the welfare of senior citizens, told dna on Monday, "This is a positive move. It will give protection to senior citizens within a legal framework. The systematic implementation of the policy will improve facilities available to senior citizens," she said

Senior advocate Adik Shirodkar, 83, said the proposal may not stand up to legal scrutiny. "It is true that there are senior citizens who are not being cared for by their children. But, publishing the names of such children may not pass legal muster,'' he said. Another noted advocate Shrikant Bhatt said though the intention of the government is laudable, such a move is a direct attack on the privacy of citizens..

If publishing names in newspapers does not cause the children to desist from harassing their parents, they will be given harsh punishment, Chavan said. “We may amend the relevant laws for this purpose. However, this will be done only after monitoring the implementation of the policy. The policy will be reviewed every five years. We will also set up a district-level toll-free helpline where senior citizens can lodge complaints. We will also appeal to private medical practitioners to give concessions to senior citizens. Also, vocational training will be given to senior citizens and priority will be given to them if they apply for jobs. The aim is to make them financially stable,” he said.