A Critical Analysis of India’s Elderly Welfare Framework: Balancing Tradition, Legislation, and the Need for Integrated Care

The phenomenon of an ageing population has projected India’s demographic make-up of senior citizens (60-plus age group) to be 14.9 per cent of the entire population by 2036, amounting to 319 million people by 2050, which poses a substantial public health concern. Vulnerability increases from the high rates of multi-morbidity, functional decline, and the 65 to 80 per cent of the aged population needing caregiving assistance from others. In 2007, the Government of India implemented the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (MWPSC) Act to ensure financial assistance to older adults and to safeguard this population from neglect and abuse. This paper critically evaluates this legislative response, finding that the Act suffers from implementation challenges, including low awareness (reported as low as 12 per cent among the elderly), administrative bottlenecks, and conflicting judicial interpretations of Section 23 regarding property transfers. Furthermore, limitations in the law, such as the narrow definition of 'maintenance' as merely bare necessities, fail to guarantee a dignified life. This research states that there neesds to be a change in thinking regarding current demographic realities, as explained in the following: the family obligation model must be replaced with integrated care models that incorporate the World Health Organisation (WHO) Healthy Ageing Agenda, which contributes to the maintenance of functional ability. This work must be complemented with accelerated social and economic policies to provide dignity, financial support, and accessibility to a wide variety of tailored assistance and care for the elderly in India.