Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said that no society can move ahead if it ignores its senior citizens. He was speaking at a function organised by the Federation of Senior Citizens Associations of Odisha at Rabindra Mandap here Tuesday
Conveying his warm greetings to all the senior citizens on the occasion, the CM said, “Senior citizens are the trees of wisdom in our society. Their wisdom does not come from books or scriptures, but from a deep understanding of life. No society can move forward ignoring seniors.”
“They are a source of immense knowledge and experience that can guide the younger generation. We must appreciate their wisdom and value their contributions to society,” he added.
“My government has always been sensitive to the needs of senior citizens. We are providing monthly pensions to around 27 lakh senior citizens under different schemes,” the Chief Minister said.
Explaining the schemes, he said, “In 2016, the government had put in place the Odisha Senior Citizens Policy which envisages a number of welfare measures for seniors. We are setting up 200-bed Old Age Homes in all districts in a phased manner. We are also setting up geriatric care wards and counselling centres in all district hospitals.”
“Giving utmost priority to the security of senior citizens we have opened Senior Citizen Security Cells in all police stations. Besides, state awards are being conferred on individuals and institutions for outstanding achievements in geriatric care,” he added.
Apart from socio-economic and healthcare needs, senior citizens also have religious needs. “Keeping this in mind my government has been running the Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana since 2016.Thousands of seniors have made use of this to visit pilgrim centres all over the country,” Patnaik added.
“I thank the Federation of Senior Citizens for their endeavour to lead a healthy social life and for making constructive contributions to society. I wish all of you a happy life,” the CM said.
PNN
