Cabinet decides to promulgate ordinance on commission for elderly

The Cabinet has decided to promulgate an ordinance on constituting the Kerala State Commission for the Elderly, Minister for Social Justice R. Bindu has said.

Dr. Bindu on Wednesday said the decision on the ordinance was taken in the wake of increased apprehension over neglect, exploitation, and abandonment of the elderly.

The commission would issue guidelines in connection with the welfare and protection of the elderly, making their rehabilitation possible, and implementing activities that would make it possible for society to make use of their talents. It would lay down the processes for setting up the commission, she said.

The ordinance stipulated that the commission would have a chairperson appointed through a government notification and maximum three members. All of them would be elderly. One of them should belong to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes and another a woman. It has been recommended to the Governor that the Commission Secretary would be a person not less than an additional secretary in the government, its Registrar someone not less than a joint secretary in the Law department, and its Finance Officer a person not less than deputy secretary in the Finance department.

The commission headquarters would be in the State capital. The tenure of the chairperson and the members would be three years from the date they assume office.

The supervision of everyday activities of the commission and its administration would be vested with the chairperson. The chairperson should be a full-time appointee of the rank of Government Secretary.

The commission could specially invite a maximum of two experts in connection with executing matters before it or considering a specific subject. However, they would have no voting rights in the commission meetings, Dr. Bindu said.

Published - November 27, 2024 08:23 pm IST