Parliament in India has passed a law stipulating three months in jail for children who neglect their parents.
The law, which was passed on Thursday, applies to adults whose parents are aged over 60.
The minister of social affairs, Miera Kumar, said the joint family system was withering away in India and old people were being abandoned.
India's elderly population has more than doubled over the past 25 years, to more than 80 million.
The legislation also provides for the state to set up old people's homes.
But Mrs Kumar said they should be a last resort for the poor and the childless.