 bill no 61 of 2011 the maintenance and welfare of parents and senior citizens (amendment) bill, 2011 by dr mahendrasinh p chauhan, mp a billfurther to amend the maintenance and welfare of parents and senior citizens act, 2007be it enacted by parliament in the sixty-second year of the republic of india as follows:—2 for chapter iv of the maintenance and walfare of parents and senior citizens act, 2007, the following chapter shall be substituted, namely:—substitution of new chapter for chapter iv "chapter iv provisions for medical care and other facilities for senior citizens520 the state government shall ensure that,—medical support for senior citizens(i) the government hospitals or hospitals funded fully or partially by the government shall provide free periodical health check-up and other health care facilities for all senior citizens as far as possible;(ii) separate queues be arranged for senior citizens;10(iii) facility for treatment of chronic, terminal and degenerative diseases is expanded for senior citizens;(iv) research activities for chronic elderly diseases and ageing is expanded; (v) there are earmarked facilities for geriatric patients in every district hospital duly headed by a medical officer with experience in geriatric care1520a notwithstanding anything contained in this act or in any other law for the time being in force, the central government shall provide,—other facilities for senior citizens(i) subsistence allowance of rupees one thousand per month to every destitute senior citizen;20(ii) travel facilities by road, rail and air at concessional rates to every senior citizen; and(iii) such other facilities to senior citizens, as the central government may think necessary:25provided that the central government may revise the rate of subsistence allowance referred to in clause (i) above, from time to time, on the basis of such criteria as it may think fit for the purposeexplanation— for the purpose of this section, 'destitute senior citizen' means any person who has completed the age of sixty years and has no living relative or property to maintain himself" statement of objects and reasonsthe increasing influence of western culture in our country has resulted in senior citizens being neglected this is totally against our indian culture and philosophy with the increase in life expectancy, the number of destitute senior citizens is increasing regularly this problem is more pronounced in the urban areas in cities, thousands of senior citizens are living alone as they have no one to care for them the senior citizens who are destitute have neither any income nor any relatives to support them it is the duty of the state to provide them with security both personal and financial for their welfare it is inhuman and immoral to neglect our senior citizens they must be provided complete financial security including 'roti, kapra and makaan'the bill seeks to amend the maintenance and welfare of parents and senior citizens act, 2007 with a view to provide for payment of subsistence allowance and other facilities to destitute senior citizensnew delhi;mahendrasinh p chauhanaugust 1, 2011 financial memorandumclause 2 of the bill provides that the central government shall provide subsistence allowance to every destitute senior citizen it also provides for certain facilities to senior citizens the bill, therefore, if enacted, would involve expenditure from the consolidated fund of india it is estimated that an annual recurring expenditure of about rupees one thousand five hundred crore is likely to be involved from the consolidated fund of indiaa non-recurring expenditure of about rupees one thousand crore is also likely to be involved———— a billfurther to amend the maintenance and welfare of parents and senior citizens act, 2007————(dr mahendrasinh p chauhan, mp)