Over 16,000 Senior Citizens Linked with Government Welfare Services: Dr. Baljit Kaur
₹7.86 Crore Allocated for Welfare of Senior Citizens: Dr. Baljit Kaur
Healthcare, Pension and Legal Protection Under One Roof: Dr. Baljit Kaur
Chandigarh, February 24:
The Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is continuously taking concrete steps to ensure the safety, health and social welfare of senior citizens, considering them a precious part of our society. The government remains firmly committed to safeguarding their dignity, security and overall well-being. Under the state-level campaign “Our Elders, Our Pride”, more than 16,000 senior citizens have been registered through health check-up camps and linked with various government welfare schemes across the state.
Sharing further details, Minister for Social Security, Women and Child Development, Dr. Baljit Kaur, informed that under the Senior Citizen Action Plan, a budget provision of ₹7.86 crore has been made for the financial year 2025–26 for organising health check-up camps and other welfare-related activities for senior citizens.
She said that during these camps, 4,543 senior citizens underwent general health check-ups, 2,071 received orthopaedic consultations, 3,705 had eye examinations, 1,129 participated in yoga sessions, 1,489 availed homeopathic treatment, while 2,054 benefited from ayurvedic services, assistive devices and other essential facilities.
Dr. Baljit Kaur further stated that under the ALIMCO scheme, 243 senior citizens were registered, out of which 89 were provided with wheelchairs, spectacles and hearing aids. In addition, 355 old-age pension forms were prepared and 393 senior citizen cards were issued during these camps.
The Cabinet Minister said that health check-up camps have already been organised in most districts of Punjab, including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala, while similar camps will be organised shortly in Faridkot and Sangrur.
She added that under the State Action Plan, district-level health check-up camps and allied activities were conducted through this budget allocation. At these camps, senior citizens were provided facilities such as cataract surgery referrals, free distribution of assistive devices, old-age pension services, issuance of senior citizen cards, yoga camps, legal awareness programmes and other awareness activities under one roof. Under this initiative, 2,187 senior citizens were made aware of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
To keep senior citizens actively connected with society, productive and inter-generational activities were also organised. Under these initiatives, 379 senior citizens participated in productive and active ageing camps, while 140 took part in inter-generational activities such as Giddha, Bhangra, poetry and theatre. Additionally, 1,841 senior citizens strengthened their physical and mental well-being by participating in yoga camps.
Dr. Baljit Kaur said that senior citizens are a precious and valued part of society, and taking care of them is both the moral and social responsibility of the Mann Government. She emphasised that the success of these initiatives depends on collective efforts and appealed to families and society to actively encourage senior citizens to participate in these health and welfare camps.
