Rajasthan, Himachal, Mizoram top national rankings on quality of life for elderly

Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Chandigarh lead the first national rankings on the Quality of Life for Elderly Index. The Index was released on Wednesday by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).

The Index has been created by the Institute for Competitiveness on the EAC-PM’s request to shed light on the problems faced by elderly citizens in the country and determine the preparedness of states to deal with a rising elderly population.

Rajasthan is the top scorer in the aged states category defined as states with an elderly population of more than 5 million, followed by Maharashtra and Bihar. Himachal Pradesh leads in the Relatively-Aged States section (below 5 million population), followed by Uttarakhand and Haryana.

Mizoram leads in the North Eastern States category, followed by Meghalaya and Manipur and Chandigarh, followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, among all UTs.

EAC-PM Chairman, Dr Bibek Debroy said, “India is often portrayed as a young society, with a consequent demographic dividend. But, as with every country that goes through a fast process of demographic transition, India also has greying cum aging problem. EAC-PM requested Dr Amit Kapoor and his team at Institute for Competitiveness to do a report on issue that is often not mentioned- the problems faced by the elderly.”

“The Quality of Life for Elderly Index has been released to broaden the way we understand the needs and the opportunities of the elderly population in India. This index measures the core domains of Economic, health, and social well-being of older people and provides the in-depth situation of elderly people in India,” said IFC Chairman Dr Amit Kapoor.

“India needs to grab the current opportunity to continuously evolve the systems and start putting positive change in motion for the next decades. The Index on Quality of Life for Elderly 2021 represents a beginning,” the report said, which separately ranks states and UTs on the elderly wellbeing index.

The Index framework includes four pillars: Financial Well-being, Social Well-being, Health System and Income Security, and eight sub-pillars: Economic Empowerment, Educational Attainment & Employment, Social Status, Physical Security, Basic Health, Psychological Wellbeing, Social Security and Enabling Environment.

Also Read: Covid-19 likely to keep Indian women unemployed for years