Hindustan Times ·
Proposed Keralam law aims to upskill elderly care-giving sector: CMO
A proposed law for the care and protection of elderly persons in Keralam will aim to professionalise the caregiving sector and build a framework for geriatric care, the chief minister’s office said on Tuesday.
Chief Minister VD Satheesan, chairing a meeting to review the draft Keralam State Elderly Persons (Care and Protection) Bill, 2026 in Thiruvananthapuram, directed officials to expedite the procedures associated with drafting the legislation.
The bill’s stated aim is to establish a comprehensive elderly-friendly system, taking into account the state’s changing demographic structure.
The legislation, once passed, would fix quality standards and responsibilities of assisted living facilities, home care agencies and government homes housing destitute elderly persons, the CM’s office said.
“One of the main objectives is developing the caregiving sector into a professional system. For this, a framework for geriatric care certification will be formed. Care givers would be given training and certification. Their backgrounds would be checked and a state-wide registry will be developed. This will help create jobs for skilled caregivers,” the office said.
The government, the CM’s office said, was committed to building a ‘silver economy’ that would tie the rising needs of elderly persons with new economic and employment opportunities.
State and district-level mechanisms would be put in place for the effective implementation of the bill’s goals, it said.
Figures from the Registrar General of India have stated that the population of those aged 60 and above in Keralam is expected to rise to one-fourth of the state’s population in less than a decade. The figure of those aged 60 and above in the state in 2026 is 18.7%, compared to the national average of 11.4%.
- Vishnu Varma is Assistant Editor and reports from Kerala for the Hindustan Times. He has 10 years of experience writing for print and digital platforms and has worked at The New York Times, NDTV and The Indian Express in the past. He specialises in longform reportage at the intersections of politics, crime, social commentary and environment.Read More
