The entire ecosystem of India has been dependent upon the machinery called "Poor & Rural Workers", which is probably a phenomenon in most developing countries.
It is a reality of Indian families that most households are dependent and pampered by cheap availability of domestic help and other low cost support staff.
A few decades ago, it was the 'Ramu Kaka' who was the man friday for most middle class homes, then came the part-time Maids, Cooks, Car Cleaners etc.
The larger point of debate is, how do these support staff survive in their old age? Do they have a retirement fund, do they have medical insurance, do they have social and recreational avenues especially after they hang their boots or do they simply live on love and fresh air?
While on one hand there is a lot of traction and development happening in the Senior Care sector but then, India does not consist of only the metro cities and urban areas, there is a huge Underbelly under the carpet which most of us do not want to see.
There are 800 odd districts in India which consist of 6.5 lakh (0.65 million) and around 65% of citizens live in rural areas. These numbers may look good on an excel sheet but in reality it's a tall task to ensure proper implementation of social welfare schemes at the grassroots level.
Old age is the ocean of life, no matter how young one is, one day the river of youth will flow down south and meet the ocean, and India is lucky to have 150 million old age rivers.
While on one hand urbanization and development has made life easier for all of us but then at whose cost and at what cost?
There is a large labour force like the Railway Station Coolies, Rickshaw Pullers, Auto Drivers, Migrant Labour, part-time domestic help etc etc; what happens to these people when their physical utility completely depreciates and have to be written off in the books of the working force?
I feel that India requires a separate Eldercare Act which has teeth and can bite, because the existing system of giving suggestions and recommendations by the Centre to the State level without having any power to enforce, control and be accountable will remain like a drama movie without any ending.
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Pankaj Mehrotra
