The Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry has proposed widening the definition of children to include sons-in-law and daughters-in-law through amendments in an act on the welfare of senior citizens. Currently, the term includes only sons, daughters, and grandchildren. The ministry also wants to remove the cap on the maintenance payable to elderly.

The ministry proposed that the definition of senior citizen to include uniform adoption of age criteria — 60 years — across government and private sector — for giving benefits to elderly. It has also proposed increasing the jail term for those who abandon or abuse their elderly parents, to six months from the existing three months under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007.

The proposed amendments were discussed at the third ‘Meeting of National Council for Senior Citizens’ in which members of the council belonging to ministries and departments like Railways, Labour and Employment, Rural Development, Department of Justice and representatives of states participated.

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