Ageing with Dignity: National Conference Champions Blending Ancient Indian Values with Modern Eldercare Strategies

NHRC, India along with NITI Aayog, Ministry of Social Justice, Ministry of Social Empowerment, and Health and Family Welfare sponsored the Sankala Foundation for India’s first national conference on ‘Ageing in India: Emerging Realities, Evolving Responses’ which happened on 1st August, 2025 in New Delhi.Advocate Justice V. Ramasubramanian, the NHRC Chairperson, while addressing the conference gave an account of the NHRC’s human right mandate for the observance of human Rights of the elderly people and remarked on the need to merge modern policies with ancient Indian civilizational frameworks for respecting, protecting and promoting the elderly’s dignity, welfare and well-being.NHRC Secretary General, Shri Bharat Lal with support from the council directed to interpret ageing as a national treasure and advocated for the consideration of Scandinavian and Japanese paradigms molded with Indian cultural policies.The conference also showcased several distinguished speakers that dealt with the report ‘Ageing in India: Challenges and Opportunities’ which focused on elderly sustainable welfare.To deal with the unfolding difficulties and possibilities in regard to India’s aging populace, it sought to foster innovative policies, stimulate stakeholder conversations, and underscore scalable best practices. During the inaugural session, NHRC Chairperson, Justice Shri V. Ramasubramanian, stated that India possesses deep cultural practices which advocate for care and respect for the elderly as core to the social fabric. He referenced both the Sangam literature and the Yajur Veda, which in the context of the elderly, highlighted the need to blend these ancient norms and values into contemporary policies for safeguarding their dignity and human rights, in line with the NHRC’s responsibilities. He emphasized the Commission’s concern for the human rights of the elderly and recalled the NHRC initiatives on this issue such as advisories, core group meetings, research studies, and suo motu cognizance cases. Focusing on social care, Dr. Vinod K. Paul, Member (Health, Nutrition and Education) NITI Aayog, in his special address, discussed the need for social security for the aging population. He noted that the central tenet of India’s policy should be to enable families to care for their senior members.During his keynote address, Shri Bharat Lal, NHRC Secretary General, Meeting outlines the concerns for the conference noted that India’s elderly population would reach approximately 35 crores by 2050, which would mean one in five Indians would be a senior citizen, creating a monumental policy challenge. He highlighted the need for family and community-based care systems that incorporate holistic approaches from around the world while remaining rooted in India’s ethos of family values. He noted the NHRC Advisory on the Rights of Widows issued in 2024, which called for state agencies to provide pensions, housing, and healthcare to destitute and elderly widows. He also recalled the NHRC Advisory on Protecting Older Persons during the COVID-19 Pandemic, which focused on equitable vaccination and home care, supportive mental health services, and protection from neglect or abandonment during lockdowns.3As scholars and practitioners in the field have pointed out, the aged, in the perception ofShri Lal have a role of information, understanding, and insight and therefore called forSeniors have also been cared for in the community as they are in the Scandinavian andJapanese cultures, and in the Scandinavian and Japanese models, as integrated within theIndian culture. He asked for actionable suggestions on the documentation of the report‘Ageing in India: Challenges and Opportunities’ which was published a few tears ago asthe report called for community action at all levels of governance.Shri Devender Kumar Nim as a Director of Sankala Foundation presented the leap of thesingle, and in my view, the conference was devided into four symposial sections and theywere all tackled with a great understanding of the issue at hand.The members included: in the regard of Elder Welfare, actionable policies and practicalmeasures put forward in the framework of the conference were delivered by the secretaryof the relevant ministry; therefore, it was directed by Amit Yadav.‘Health and MentalWellbeing of the Elderly’ by Smt. Preeti Sudan, giving pointers as a Former Chairpersonof the UPSC and Former Secretary of Health and Family Welfare. ‘Leveraging Ageing forGrowth and Development’ by Amitabh Kant he previously was the G20 Sherpa of India andCEO of NITI. Besides him, I also need to mention ‘Shaping Futures: Preparing for an AgeingSociety’ which was delivered by Dr. Vinod K. Paul, as a member on Health, Nutrition and Educationof NITI Aayog.Other prominent speakers include: Dr. Kiran Bedi, Former Lt. Governor of Puducherry; Shri Amarjeet Sinha, Former Secretary, Department of Rural Development & Former Advisor, Prime Minister’s Office; Shri V. Srinivas, Secretary, Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare; Shri Manoj Yadava, Former DGP of Haryana and DG of the Railway Protection Force and former DG (Inv.) of the NHRC; HE Amb’r Lim Sang Woo, Charge d'Affaires, of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in New Delhi; Shri Vijay Nehra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Preeti Nath, Economic Adviser, MEITY; Dr. Sanjay Wadhwa, Professor & Head, Physicial Medicine & Rehabilitation Department of AIIMS, New Delhi; and Mathew Cherian, Global Ambassador for Ageing, HelpAge International. Dr. Manohar Agnani, Former Addl. Secretary, MoH&FW and Professor of Public Health, Azim Premji University, Bhopal; Professor T. V. Shekhar, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai; Smt. Pavithra Reddy, COO, Vayah Vikas, Bengaluru; Jaydeep Biswas, Chief of Policy, Advocacy and Partnerships at UNFPA India; Mr. Asheesh Gupta, Founder and MD, Samarth Elder Care; and Mr. Yudhistir Govinda Das, Director of Communication, ISKCON India.The attendees comprised of high-ranking government officials, academics, people from research organizations, startups, representatives from tech and healthcare companies, and members of civil society, as well as from geriatric and palliative care institutions.Some of the most important conclusions from the discussions are: - Improved nutrition and healthcare have increased life expectancy, expanding the elderly demographic, which serves as both a challenge and an opportunity for developing countries like India in the context of ‘ageing without affluence’. - There is a necessity to make ageing aspirational through early active, productive ageing and a lifestyle shift supported by financial investment from youth. - While technological innovations reduce repetitive tasks, they increase operational efficiency and productivity which creates a meaningful opportunity for people aged over sixty. - There is a necessity to enable the elderly to keep actively contributing in the society through expanding opportunities for their engagement. - There is a need to foster a competitive climate for elderly care improvement among state jurisdictions while also advocating for greater decentralization and increased self-governmental structures. - Model programs such as the Palliative Care of Kerala can be adapted for geriatric care.\* To incorporate the elderly into India's ‘silver economy’, we need to ensure financial security, digital literacy, long-term care insurance, digital healthcare, and engagement platforms as well as assistive devices. \* Family and community-centered care and support models should be developed for the elderly in India as the primary approach. The conference brought together government bodies, ngos, and the general public to participate in projects aimed at preserving the dignity and rights of elderly people as part of building a fair and equitable society.