Govt to send inmates of old age homes on free pilgrimage: CM

Social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam named the Kanti Nagar old age home after Babasaheb Ambedkar, noting that April 14 is Ambedkar Jayanti.

Announcing the Delhi government’s plan to increase the number of old age homes in the city from four to 12, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday declared that the elderly citizens in old age homes will be taken for a free pilgrimage to a destination of their choice under the Delhi government’s ongoing Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojna.

CM Arvind Kejriwal after inaugurating an old age home in east Delhi’s Kanti Nagar, on Tuesday.  (HT Photo)

Speaking at the inauguration of the Delhi government’s fourth old age home at Shahdara’s Kanti Nagar, Kejriwal said, “Today, we are living in such a time where many elderly parents do not get along with their children, or many do not have children to look after them... there are several other reasons which force people to leave their homes once they are old and senile. They have no one to take care of them at home, regardless of whether they come from rich families or poor. For all such people, we have developed many such residential facilities, and this is the fourth one. Our aim is to develop a total of nine such homes to provide shelter to about a 1,000 senior citizens. We will continue to work on this and build more such facilities to ensure that everyone who is forced to move out of their homes and has no one to look after them in their old age is taken care of and does not feel the lack of any facilities. I assure all those people – your government is with you, your own son is the chief minister who is standing at the forefront to take care of all your grievances.”

Social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam named the Kanti Nagar old age home after Babasaheb Ambedkar, noting that April 14 is Ambedkar Jayanti. “We have abstained from calling it an ashram. We are calling it a home to instil the feeling of homeliness and to ensure that all residents in this facility are well taken care of,” he said.

Spread across 1,550 square metres, the five-storey old age home in Kanti Nagar will accommodate about 117 elderly in 50 rooms with attached toilet and shower. The facility also has a recreation centre with additional open space, a medical care unit, a physiotherapy centre, a modern kitchen and dining area, lift facility, parking facilities and public announcement system.

The elderly living in the old age home will get free accommodation, food, clothing and bedding facilities. “They will also get case work and counselling services, medical care, physiotherapy, entertainment facilities like TV, radio, books, and bhajan and kirtan programmes,” Gautam said.

Admission to the institute will be done on a voluntary basis and people can apply to the deputy director or superintendent (senior citizen residence) of Social Security Branch at the headquarters of the Social Welfare Department along with certain documents and certificates -- a copy of the age certificate, health certificate, proof of residence in Delhi or domicile certificate.

On receipt of the application, a welfare officer will undertake a field visit and submit the report to the superintendent, who will forward his comments and recommendation to the state and discharge committee and district social welfare officer. Thereafter applicants will be invited to the old age home.