The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) which aims to empower the elderly citizens in the country. The scheme recognizes the valuable contributions of the elderly to the society and ensures their welfare and social inclusion.National Action Plan for Senior Citizens (NAPSrc) will be renamed in April 2021 by subsuming it into Atal Vayo Abhyudaya Yojana (AVYAY) given.
As a holistic scheme, Atal Vayo Abhyudaya Yojana (AVYAY) provides for old age homes/homes to improve the quality of life of senior citizens, especially poor senior citizens, by providing them with basic amenities and recreational opportunities and by encouraging meaningful and active old age. Provides financial assistance to eligible organizations for the operation and maintenance of continuing care homes.This scheme is an Integrated Program for Senior Citizens (IPSrC).
Components of AVYAY Scheme
- Another component under the AVYAY scheme is Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY), which provides assistive devices to eligible senior citizens suffering from any age related disability/infirmity. The financial criteria for the beneficiaries of this component is either to be a ‘Below Poverty Line’ (BPL) category senior citizen or their income is up to Rs.15,000 per month.
- There is a national helpline number for senior citizens called Elderline. A toll-free number 14567 was launched on 1 October 2021.