SYLLABUS
GS-1: Salient Features of Indian Society; Population and Associated Issues.
GS-2: Welfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections of the Population by the Centre and States and the Performance of These Schemes.
Context: The Government has released ₹ 77.98 crores as grant-in-aid to 755 projects under the Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (IPSr.C) component of AVYAY for the quarter ending 30 September 2026 during the financial year 2026–27.
About Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana
- Launch: Introduced in 2021, AVYAY subsumed and expanded the earlier National Action Plan for Senior Citizens (NAPSrC), bringing multiple elderly-welfare interventions under one umbrella.
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- Target group: Senior citizens aged 60 years and above, with particular attention to indigent and vulnerable older persons.
- Objectives: Improve quality of life by providing shelter, food, healthcare and recreational support; strengthen institutional and community-based care; and promote active and productive ageing through capacity building of governments, NGOs, local bodies and communities.
- Components of AVYAY:
- Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (IPSrC): Provides grants-in-aid to eligible organisations, including NGOs, Panchayati Raj Institutions and local bodies, for maintaining senior citizen homes, continuous care homes, mobile medical units and physiotherapy facilities.
- State Action Plan for Senior Citizens (SAPSrC): Supports States and Union Territories in preparing and implementing locally relevant action plans. Activities may include geriatric caregiver training, cataract surgery drives and other approved state-specific welfare initiatives.
- Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY): Provides eligible senior citizens experiencing age-related disabilities or infirmities with assistive living devices to improve their functional independence.
- Senior Citizen Opportunities for Productive Engagement (SCOPE): Connects experienced senior citizens with employment opportunities through a portal that matches their preferences with potential employers.
- Seniorcare Ageing Growth Engine (SAGE): Encourages start-ups to develop innovative elderly-care products, services and technologies. Selected start-ups can receive equity support of up to ₹1 crore, along with mentoring and market linkages.
Key Achievements
- Institutional care: IPSrC supports 764 Senior Citizen Homes, 13 Continuous Care Homes, 17 Mobile Medicare Units and 3 Physiotherapy Clinics, primarily to provide shelter and care to indigent senior citizens.
- Assistive devices: Under Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY), over 10.45 lakh senior citizens have cumulatively benefited from approximately 55.88 lakh assistive living devices for age-related disabilities and infirmities.
- Helpline support: Elderline (14567), the National Helpline for Senior Citizens launched in October 2021, has received over 8.66 lakh actionable calls, providing information, guidance, emotional support and field intervention.
- Digital initiatives: In May 2026, the government launched the JEEVAN mobile application to provide information on welfare schemes, senior citizen homes and support services, alongside the SHATAYU dashboard, which helps senior citizens and families locate trained geriatric caregivers.
Need and Significance of the Scheme
- Responding to demographic ageing: India had 10.38 crore senior citizens in Census 2011, projected to reach 23 crore by 2036, increasing demand for healthcare, shelter and social support.
- Supporting health and independent living: RVY provides assistive devices to eligible elderly people with age-related disabilities, while IPSrC-supported homes offer residential care to indigent senior citizens.
- Promoting productive ageing: SCOPE connects experienced senior citizens with employment opportunities, enabling them to continue contributing their skills and knowledge.
- Developing the silver economy: SAGE supports start-ups developing elderly-care products, services and technologies, encouraging innovation in the growing market for senior-friendly solutions.
Challenges and the Way Ahead
- Infrastructure gaps: The projected increase in the elderly population necessitates expanding institutional capacity alongside affordable home-based and community care. States should identify district-level gaps and expand locally accessible services.
- Shortage of trained caregivers: Expand geriatric-care training through SAPSrC and PM-SPECIAL, while improving access to trained caregivers through suitable referral and information platforms.
- Accountability in service delivery: Ensure effective field inspections, timely utilisation certificates and audited statements, alongside E-Anudaan monitoring and prescribed attendance and transparency mechanisms for IPSrC-funded institutions.
- Awareness and social support: Improve outreach for Elderline (14567), assistive devices under RVY and employment opportunities through SCOPE. Strengthen intergenerational programmes and age-friendly community support to reduce isolation and enable older persons to age safely in their homes.