Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 13 Keralam on Tuesday became the first state in the country to introduce a comprehensive Bill to protect senior citizens from abuse and exploitation, regulate elderly care centres and ensure better access to healthcare and social security.
The Keralam Senior Citizens (Care and Protection of Rights) Bill, 2026, was introduced by Chief Minister V D Satheesan in the state Assembly to establish a legal framework for elderly care and safeguard the rights of senior citizens.
The proposed law also provides for jail terms and fines for offences such as abusing senior citizens, illegally possessing their property and operating unregistered care centres.
During an interview with PTI Videos last week, Satheesan said the legislation aims to ensure that elderly people receive the care and support they need amid changing demographic patterns, rising life expectancy and concerns over the neglect of senior citizens in some households.
Introducing the Bill, Satheesan cited the autobiography of former Raymond chairman Vijaypat Singhania, in which he described how he lost his wealth and was forced to move into a one-bedroom flat in his later years, having become unable to afford to live in any of his luxurious apartments in prime locations in Mumbai.
Referring to cases of elderly parents being abandoned by their children, Satheesan said Singhania’s autobiography, An Incomplete Life, which chronicles his early life, his leadership of the Raymond Group, his achievements in aviation and the losses he suffered in his later years.
Singhania was once among India’s most prominent industrialists, with assets worth Rs 2,000-3,000 crore, the Chief Minister said.
Describing him as a “textile business king” and a passionate aviator who had flown the longest distance in the world, Satheesan said Singhania had handed over his entire wealth to one of his sons.
“There are many such stories in the society around us — of people who suffer and those who are reduced to destitution,” he said, highlighting the plight of elderly people who are abandoned or left without adequate support.
Singhania handed over the reins of the Raymond Group to his son Gautam Singhania in 2000, but continued to remain active in public life.
The veteran industrialist died in Mumbai at 87 on March 28 this year.
Satheesan said the UDF government’s proposed law seeks to establish a legal framework for the care and protection of senior citizens, while prescribing jail terms and fines for offences such as abusing the elderly, illegally possessing their property and operating unregistered elderly care centres.
“This is the first of its kind in India and a promise fulfilled by the UDF government,” he said in a post on ‘X’ after introducing the bill.
Earlier, speaking in the Assembly, Satheesan said the Bill proposes imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to Rs 50,000 for physical or mental abuse or cruelty against a senior citizen by a family member, relative, legal heir, authority in charge of a care centre, its staff or a caregiver.
“Nobody should feel that they are alone or abandoned. Their protection is their right,” he said, emphasising that the way a society treats its elderly determines how civilised it is.
Satheesan said the proposed department would focus not only on welfare and care but also on developing a “silver economy” by using the knowledge and professional experience of people aged 60 and above.
It envisages a system of registration, regulation and monitoring of institutions providing care to senior citizens, with the aim of improving service standards and ensuring transparency and accountability.
Satheesan said the Bill sought to protect the rights and dignity of elderly people.
He also pointed to the incidents of children allegedly taking possession of elderly parents’ property and abandoning them in Guruvayoor or Kanyakumari.
The CM said the Bill would ensure that senior citizens were cared for and treated with affection and dignity.
The Bill proposes the formation of a State Senior Citizens Protection Unit and district-level protection forums and units to oversee implementation, monitor care facilities and address complaints relating to neglect, abuse and exploitation.
It defines abuse broadly to include physical, mental and emotional harm, verbal abuse, financial exploitation, sexual abuse, neglect of basic needs and denial of essential goods and services.
Under the proposed law, elderly care homes, day-care centres, respite care centres, hospices, home-care service agencies and caregiver training centres would have to register with the designated authorities.
Registration certificates would be valid for four years and subject to renewal.
Authorities would be empowered to inspect facilities, examine complaints and take action against centres operating without registration or violating prescribed requirements.
The legislation also seeks to improve caregiver training and professional standards.
The government planned a comprehensive data collection exercise covering elderly people, including bedridden patients and those suffering from dementia, cancer and requiring palliative care.
Neighbourhood-level support systems would be developed by connecting existing local institutions and services, backed by a volunteer network, to ensure that elderly people received food, medicines and necessary care, he said.
(PTI News)
