Senior citizens form an estimated 1.30 crore of Maharashtra’s and about 15 lakh in Mumbai’s population, but have failed to evolve as a vote-bank due to their social and economic heterogeneity. As a result, they have a litany of issues that they want to be resolved by the government of the day.

“One of the prime issues faced by senior citizens is social security. Barring pensioners, around 98% are not covered by social security measures. This includes senior citizens who worked in unorganised sector like labourers, farmers and small traders. They do not have benefits like provident fund,” said Dattatreya Chapke, president of All India Senior Citizens Confederation.

Senior citizens groups have also sought daycare centres for seniors across the city, with at least one such centre in each ward.

He demanded that senior citizens be covered under the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat medical insurance scheme as many who were uninsured were forced into pauperisation due to prohibitive costs of medical treatments or had to forego medical help altogether. He added that the state should formulate rules to implement the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.

Incidentally, with around 5,300 associations of senior citizens, the state has the strongest senior citizen movement in India. “But, governments have no time to spare for us. Only a few municipal corporations like that of Navi Mumbai lend us a helping hand,” Chapke said.

Special coaches in trains, better access to government offices and citizen-friendly public toilets are some of the other facilities they demand, discounts on medical tests for senior citizens, higher rates of interest on bank deposits, and launch of dedicated geriatric care and treatment facilities in state and civic-run hospitals are a few of the long list of their demands by senior citizens.