'Amendment to Senior Citizens Act aims to ensure dignified life of senior people'

Kathmandu, July 28: Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens, Uma Regmi has said families and local governments have been made responsible for the senior citizens.   

In her response to queries raised during the deliberations on a proposal to seek consideration to the amendment by the House of Representatives in regard to the Senior Citizens (First Amendment) Bill, 2075 BS here today, the Minister said such provision was expected to have a significant contribution to the protection of the rights of senior citizens. She was speaking in a session of the National Assembly, the upper house, today.    

The Bill to amend the Senior Citizens Act- 2063 (2006) BS was endorsed by the HoR and was sent to the National Assembly (NA). As the Minister explained, there are reports that senior citizens are subjugated to abuse and violence at the hands of their children. More, ageing population is living without their children in villages as later are opting for urban life. "Senior citizens are left alone in villages due to an increasing trend of outmigration of their children."    

"The respective local government has been made accountable to senior citizens who are neglected by their children. We have instances where even educated children have left their parents at an old-age home. The Bill aims to ensure a happy living of senior citizens within their families," the Minister said. 

   
 It is said the Bill ensures a ground that will attract laws if senior citizens are unable to lodge a complaint of being neglected by children and their neighbors will do that.    
Besides, it has enabled an atmosphere for constituents a senior citizens bench at the local level and disallows children to have their claim on the parental property without fulfilling their responsibilities to the parents, according to the Minister.    

The meeting unanimously endorsed the proposal to consider HoR's amendment in regard to the Bill.(RSS)