Can Keralam’s elderly department make real difference or remain symbolic entity?

According to the Union government’s Elderly in India 2021 report, people aged 60 and above accounted for 16.5 per cent of Keralam’s population in 2021. That figure is projected to rise to 20.9 per cent by 2031, compared with a national projection of 13.1 per cent.

In other words, within the next five years, more than one in five people in Keralam could be above the age of 60. The old-age dependency ratio is also rising — it has increased from 19.6 in 2011 to 26.1 in 2021, and is projected to reach 34.3 by 2031.

Demographic shift

These are not merely demographic numbers. They point to a major change in the way Keralam will have to plan for healthcare, social security, housing, transport and care.

The state has already had to respond to the needs of an ageing population through several programmes. The Social Justice Department currently handles schemes including Vayomithram, Vayo Amrutham, Elderline 14567, the Rapid Response Team for Senior Citizens and other elderly welfare initiatives.

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Keralam also has a State Elderly Commission, established to address issues including neglect, exploitation and abandonment of senior citizens. The commission has quasi-judicial powers and can make recommendations to the government.

A wider responsibility

That raises an obvious question: does Keralam really need a separate department for the elderly? And will creating one actually make a difference?

Elderly welfare is not a new responsibility for the state. It has largely been handled through the Social Justice Department, which already has a range of schemes aimed at senior citizens. The question, therefore, is not simply whether more schemes are needed, but whether ageing requires a different approach to governance.

Ageing is not only a Social Justice Department issue. It cuts across government. Healthcare comes under one system, transport under another, while housing, local government, pensions and social security involve several other departments.

Greater need for coordination

For the new department to have a real impact, it will need the authority to work across these departments.

Otherwise, it risks becoming another department managing another set of schemes.

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There are already attempts to look at elderly welfare more broadly. The government has introduced an Elder-Friendly Office Certification scheme to assess public offices on factors including accessibility, service delivery, staff behaviour and communication. The initiative is aimed at making public services easier for senior citizens to access.

But the question is whether such initiatives will go beyond certification.

Unanswered questions

An office can be declared elderly-friendly. But can an elderly person actually get a government service without depending on someone else? Can they access a hospital easily? Can they use public transport safely? Can they live independently? Can they get help if they are neglected or abused?

These are the questions that matter.

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And there is another criticism that needs to be considered. Creating a department can give an issue a political identity. But it can also create another layer of bureaucracy.

Who controls what?

If responsibilities continue to remain divided among several departments, what exactly will the new department control? Will other departments be required to follow its policies? Or will the new department mainly coordinate existing schemes?

These questions will determine whether the department becomes consequential or remains largely symbolic.

There is also the question of who gets included in the definition of the elderly.

Different needs

A 60-year-old who is healthy, employed and financially independent has very different needs from an 80-year-old living alone and requiring daily care.

A meaningful elderly policy, therefore, cannot treat everyone above 60 as one group.

It has to account for differences in income, health, mobility, living arrangements and access to family support.

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And there is perhaps an even larger question: is Keralam preparing for ageing, or simply responding to it?

A reactive approach would mean creating more welfare schemes as the elderly population grows. A forward-looking approach would mean changing how the state designs its cities, public transport, healthcare system, housing and local government services.

Need for forward-looking approach

That is a much bigger task.

Keralam has already gone through a demographic transition earlier than much of India. Now it is ageing earlier too.

The decision to create a separate department acknowledges that this is no longer a peripheral issue. But a department is only an institutional framework.

Its success will depend on what powers, money and responsibilities it gets.

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The real test will be whether ageing in Keralam becomes less of a private burden on families and more of a public policy responsibility.

The question, then, is not simply whether Keralam needs an elderly department — but whether that department can change how the state prepares for an ageing society.