New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) India’s elderly population is projected to reach 23 crore by 2036, underscoring the growing need for a comprehensive support system for senior citizens. The Government’s Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) seeks to address this demographic shift by strengthening institutional mechanisms and promoting community-based support, enabling older persons to lead dignified, fulfilling and meaningful lives, according to an official factsheet released on Tuesday.
The government has released Rs 77.98 crore as grant-in-aid to 755 projects under the Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (IPSrC) component of AVYAY for the quarter ending September 30, 2026 during the financial year 2026–27.
The Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) operates through a set of integrated components designed to address the diverse needs of senior citizens. Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (IPSrC) serves as the primary implementation arm, providing grants-in-aid directly to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Panchayati Raj Institutions, and local bodies to run and maintain old age homes, continuous care homes, mobile medical units, physiotherapy clinics, and regional resource and training centres.
At present, 764 senior citizen homes, 13 continuous care homes, 17 mobile medicare units (MMUs), and 3 physiotherapy clinics are being supported under IPSrC. Here, MMUs and physiotherapy clinics represent ongoing projects, as the scheme’s current expansion focus is primarily on establishing and maintaining senior citizen homes to ensure shelter for indigent seniors, the factsheet states.
The State Action Plan for Senior Citizens (SAPSrC) focuses on state-level strategy and capacity building. It provides grants to State and Union Territory governments to create a pool of trained geriatric caregivers, conduct special cataract surgery drives, and implement other state-specific welfare initiatives.
To foster local innovation, states can utilise up to 20 per cent of their allocated funds for these state-specific programmes. While States/UTs may incorporate their own strategies and programmes, funding is admissible only for components approved under AVYAY. States/UTs are also expected to put in their own funds to augment the resources available for this purpose.
Regional Resource and Training Centres (RRTCs) have also been set up to provide key institutional support structures under AVYAY, particularly the IPSrC. According to the scheme’s guidelines, an annual financial support of Rs 19.58 lakh is given to each RRTC. Additionally, the Ministry provides financial assistance to designated NGOs and institutions serving as RRTCs to strengthen outreach, capacity building and service delivery for senior citizens.
Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) is another standalone central sector scheme under which eligible senior citizens suffering from age-related disability or infirmity are being provided assistive living devices to restore near normalcy in bodily functions.
As of date, the scheme has achieved massive scale, cumulatively benefiting over 10.45 lakh senior citizens covered with 5587653 Assistive Living Devices through camp mode and walk-in centres of the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) at Pradhan Mantri Divyasha Vayoshri Kendras (PMD-VK).
The Government has also established a National Helpline for Senior Citizens, called Elderline, launched in October 2021. It connects senior citizens to timely support and provides free information, guidance and emotional support. Demonstrating its massive reach, Elderline has received over 8.66 lakh actionable calls.
In May 2026, the government launched the Joint Elderly Empowerment and Virtual Assistance Network (JEEVAN) mobile application and the Senior Holistic Care Assistance and Training for Your Utility (SHATAYU) geriatric dashboard.
The SHATAYU dashboard helps senior citizens and families find trained geriatric caregivers. It shows caregiver availability by district and State and strengthens India’s organised care economy. To strengthen the database, caregivers trained during 2023–24 and earlier were invited to self-register, enabling more senior citizens to access trained caregiving services. As per the dashboard, the total number of caregivers is 30,151 — 6,817 male and 23,334 female.
Besides, the government’s Seniorcare Ageing Growth Engine (SAGE) provides financial assistance up to Rs 1 crore through equity participation to selected start-ups for credible elderly-care solutions while promoting the ‘Silver Economy.’ They are also being provided with mentoring and market linkages to scale solutions that enhance the quality of life for the elderly, the factsheet added.
–IANS
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