Tamil Nadu: Senior citizen associations call for dedicated commission

CHENNAI: The Federation of Senior Citizen Associations of Tamil Nadu has urged the state government to establish a dedicated Senior Citizens Commission and also to substantially expand pension coverage for the elderly in the state.

The federation has asked Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to increase funding for elderly welfare, citing the rapid ageing of Tamil Nadu’s population.

The federation said that Tamil Nadu had about 1.04 crore senior citizens in 2021, accounting for 13.6% of the population, and projected that the elderly population could rise to around 1.5 crore (18.2%) by 2031. It said the demographic shift could make Tamil Nadu the country’s second-highest state in terms of the proportion of elderly residents.

The organisation called for legislation to constitute a Tamil Nadu Senior Citizens Commission to implement and revise the State Policy on Senior Citizens, 2023. A draft framework prepared following an April 2025 consultation proposes a chairperson and up to nine members.

The chairperson could be a retired judge, IAS or IPS officer, or a former vice-chancellor. Five members would represent senior citizens’ associations and two NGOs, while representation is also proposed for women and Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe communities, the federation noted.

Pointing out that financial insecurity remained a major concern, the federation proposed increasing the old-age pension to Rs 3,000 a month and extending social-security pension coverage to 75% of elderly residents. It sought Rs 28,080 crore annually for pensions and another Rs 3,120 crore for healthcare and care infrastructure, including palliative care, medicines, shelters, old-age homes, recreation centres and medical clinics.

The document noted that only 14.18 lakh elderly were covered under the old-age pension safety net against an elderly population of 1.04 crore, while monthly assistance under various schemes ranged between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,500. It also said only over 4.51 lakh registered unorganised workers received pensions.

Speaking to DT Next, V Rama Rao, president of the federation, said, “The DMK government agreed to form a commission, but since the government has changed, we have placed a similar request to the TVK government. With Kerala already having formed a commission, it’s the need of the hour for Tamil Nadu to step in.”

Under the proposed commission, the federation aspires for a dedicated grievance cell to operate on weekdays, while the body could investigate complaints of abuse, neglect and rights violations, inspect elderly-care institutions, coordinate government departments and provide legal assistance. It would also have civil-court-like powers to summon individuals, seek documents, receive affidavits and requisition public records.