PANAJI
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the High Court of Bombay at Goa seeking judicial directions to the State government to conduct a comprehensive survey of senior citizens to frame evidence-based welfare policies.
In a PIL, petitioner Adv Moses Pinto urged the High Court to ensure that the authorities concerned conduct a scientific, socio-economic, and health-based survey of senior citizens, while also publishing its findings and formulating evidence-based welfare policies.
Pinto, who is also a caregiver to his elderly father, submitted that his personal experiences highlight the systemic challenges faced by senior citizens in Goa. He argued that the absence of a comprehensive State-wide survey has led to policy blind spots and inadequate implementation of welfare measures.
“Despite the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, which requires State Governments to establish old-age homes, provide medical facilities, and ensure welfare measures, no comprehensive survey has been conducted in Goa to assess the demographic, health, and social vulnerabilities of the elderly population. Such inaction results in policy blind spots and inadequate implementation of statutory and constitutional mandates,” the petition reads.
He further relied on the Supreme Court judgment in Ashwani Kumar v/s Union of India (2018), where the Court held that the welfare of senior citizens falls within the ambit of Article 21 and directed governments to collect and collate data on old-age homes, pensions and geriatric facilities.
The petition also drew attention to international frameworks, including the UN Principles for Older Persons (1991) and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging (2002), which urge States to gather reliable data for designing effective ageing policies.
Pinto has sought directions to the State government, the Directorate of Social Welfare and other authorities to conduct a State-wide senior citizen welfare survey within a fixed timeline, publish the results transparently, and utilize the data to frame innovative welfare schemes in line with statutory and constitutional obligations.
The PIL contends that the continued failure to conduct such a survey has resulted in systemic neglect, poor targeting of beneficiaries, and avoidable hardship for the elderly population in Goa.
“Accordingly, this Court’s intervention is sought to direct the Respondents, including the State government and Department of Social Welfare, to conduct a State-wide Senior Citizen Welfare Survey within a time-bound framework, to publish the results transparently, and to use the findings for formulating innovative welfare schemes and ensuring compliance with the 2007 Act,” he stated.
