ABSTRACT

This chapter proposes the probable impact of the ageing population in India, the challenges to be met and the opportunities to be exploited. The United Nations has predicted that the Indian population will again grow by 50 per cent in the next 50 years, whereas the elderly population is expected to grow another fourfold. This fast rise in the aged population adds to the socio-economic challenges that face the country. The well-being of the ageing population is a matter of universal concern. At international level, the phenomenon of ageing populations was first highlighted in 1982, when the United Nations Organisation held the first world conference on ageing in Vienna. The World Assembly on Ageing adopted the International Plan of Action on Ageing, which affirmed the need for further research on matters of population ageing in developing countries. The Indian civilisation evolved as an agro-economy due to the abundance of fertile land, adequate water resources and inherent skill of the people.