Age Pension Scheme Research Articles

A Descriptive Study to Assess the Level of Knowledge Regarding National Geriatric Health Care Policies Among Elderly People in a Selected Area of Haridwar

This descriptive study aimed to assess the level of knowledge regarding national geriatric health care policies among elderly people in a selected rural area of Haridwar. Geriatric health care is an important aspect of ensuring the well-being and quality of life for the elderly, a population that is often dependent on external support due to the aging process. The study was conducted among 80 participants aged 60 years and above using a non-probability purposive sampling technique. Data was collected through a self-structured questionnaire designed to evaluate knowledge of national policies such as the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, Atal Pension Yojana, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, and others. The results indicated that the majority (65%) of the elderly had average knowledge, while 35% had poor knowledge of these policies, and no participant demonstrated a high level of knowledge. Further analysis revealed no significant association between the level of knowledge and demographic factors such as age, gender, education, and income. This lack of awareness suggests a pressing need for greater dissemination of information regarding geriatric health care policies in rural communities, where elderly people may be particularly vulnerable to poor health outcomes due to limited access to healthcare and support services. The study concludes that improving awareness and access to these policies can empower the elderly to better utilize available resources, ultimately improving their health and well-being. The findings highlight the need for targeted health education programs and policy-level interventions to bridge the knowledge gap in rural areas. Future research should explore larger populations and examine strategies to effectively increase policy awareness among the elderly.

A Informal Sector Self-Employed Workers’ Old Age Pension Scheme in Retail Sector in Zimbabwe

The high incidence of informality in Zimbabwe implies that a large proportion of the adult population does not have access to contributory pension schemes during their working lives, rendering them ineligible for old-age pensions. The primary goal of this research is to develop a pragmatic informal retail sector noncontributory old-age pension scheme in Zimbabwe. The study drew empirical evidence from a comprehensive countrywide study using mixed-methods research. The study concluded that several factors, including the respondents' demographic characteristics, are important considerations in developing an effective non-contributory old-age informal sector pension scheme. Based on the study's findings, the study proposes alternative non-contributory old-age informal sector pension schemes, such as financing the non-contributory old-age social pension, determining the monthly amount of a non-contributory old-age pension, and gradually covering a non-contributory old-age pension gap. The study recommends the introduction of a non-contributory informal sector retirement pension fully funded by the government. Keywords: retail informal sector old-age pension scheme; social security; informal sector; Zimbabwe.

Is There a Gender Gap in Support for Distributive Principles in Old Age Pension Schemes?

ABSTRACT A number of studies have identified a gender gap in social attitudes, but few have studied the phenomenon in the context of old age pension schemes. Using data from a 2019 Norwegian survey, we examined patterns of support for three distribution principles in pensions (anti-poverty, merit, and equality). Compared to men, women are more supportive of the anti-poverty and equality principles, and less supportive of the merit principle. The gender difference for the anti-poverty principle persists in multivariate analyses, but disappears for the merit and equality principles when we control for socioeconomic factors, particularly income. Analyzing men and women separately revealed that partnership status and health interact with gender. Income however appears to affect men and women equally; high-income women are as likely as high-income men to support the principle of merit and reject the principle of equality.

Cross-cultural impact of old age pension on the livelihood chances of geriatrics in Haryana

Population ageing is a worldwide phenomenon experienced by almost all the nationsthroughout the world and reflects social, economic and health achievements. Economic security is the major challenge of population aging in India. National Old Age Pension Scheme is the primary source of income of the elderly.The research examines the perceived consumption pattern of basic items, geriatric satisfaction with the quality of basic items, and the cross-cultural impact of the old age pension on thelivelihood indicators.The cross – cultural study was conducted in the Mewat and Bagad zones of Haryana state. A total of 200 Old age pensioner (age >65 years) were selected randomly for the study.The study revealed that majority of the geriatrics was residing with their children in both the zones. The Improved Quality Index for Muslim dominated area i.e., Nuh was 41.0 per cent and for Hindu dominated area i.e., Hisar was 63.0 % hence the quality index of geriatrics for Hisar was better than the Nuh. In Nuh, maximum improvement was observed in mobility domain whereas in Hisar maximum improvement was observed in health and nutrition domain.

Improving economic security for older persons by public pension schemes: evidence from National Transfer Accounts for India.

This paper develops a framework for analysis of distribution related policy issues (i.e. inequality, poverty and inequity) for ensuring economic security for India's older persons by the public old-age pension systems with special reference to Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS). The analysis is focused on (a) measurement of age-specific and intra-generational inequity by Lifecycle Deficit in the framework of National Transfer Accounts (NTA), (b) relationship between this inequity and poverty and inequalities in distribution of income and consumption and (c) role of current public funded IGNOAPS to improving economic security or reducing inequity for the elderly generation. The entire analysis is based on the benchmark year 2004-05 and a comparative analysis between 2004-05 and 2011-12. Main results show (a) remarkable age and intra-generational patterns for the older persons in labour income, consumption, income and consumption inequalities, consumption poverty and inequality-adjusted inequity and (b) efficacy of poverty-linked universal IGNOAPS to improve economic security or reducing the inequity for the older persons at a national cost of less than 0.20% of total revenueor consumption expenditure of Government of India. These results offer empirical evidence for design and implementation of redistributive policies for the older persons by integrating the objectives of reduction in economic inequalities, poverty and inequity. Such policies have wider implications for attainment of select UN-SDG goals, especially goals related to age-specific reduction in poverty and inequalities. The approach, results and implications of this paper are of general relevance for other developing countries in Asia and Africa if their economic policies aim at improving economic security of the older person in the framework of NTA methodology.

Study on utilization of healthcare and social security schemes among street vendors in an urban area of Bengaluru

Background: Access to healthcare may vary across countries, groups, and individuals, largely influenced by social and economic conditions as well as the health policies in place. In the Indian scenario, most health-care expenses are paid out-of-pocket by patients and their families, rather than through insurance or social security schemes. Health-seeking behavior denotes visiting the health-care facility for need of care during diseases, injury and health related events which includes public hospitals, clinics or privately owned hospitals. There is a lack of inadequate information on health-care utilization and social security benefits availed by street vendors in India. Hence, the study was planned to look into issues of health-care utilization and related issues. Aims and Objectives: To assess the utilization of health care and social security schemes among the street vendors of urban area of Bengaluru and to find the determinants of health-care utilization among them. Materials and Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional, descriptive, and explorative study was undertaken for 2 months from May to June 2021 among 160 street vendors in urban area of Bengaluru. Data on socio-demographic factors, vending type and nature, social security benefits, health insurance, and health-care utilization were collected from each vendor. The prevalence of utilization of healthcare and social security schemes among street vendors were estimated. Results: Majority of the vendors (77% males and 82.4% females) visit health-care center only when the illness was severe and only 18.8% of the vendors seek healthcare for all types of illnesses. Over-the-counter medicines were preferred than visiting a health-care facilities by 71.3% of the street vendors and majority of them were males (76.3%). The part time vendors (38.5%) used more than one health facility, i.e., government, polyclinic, and medical college facilities, whereas (27.2%) of full time vendors were dependent on government health-care facilities. The fixed place vendors (23.8%) and mobile cart vendors (32.7%) used government health-care facilities. Majority of the fruit vendors used government facilities. There were 20% of the street vendors who were aware of only Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), 18.8% aware of only Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) Scheme, 28% aware of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), 8% were aware of Pradhan Mantra Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana (PM-SYM), and 9.4% aware of all the above schemes as applicable. Almost two third of the study population (69% of males and 61.8% of females) were not availing any of the social security schemes. 71.4% of males above 60 years of age were availing IGNOAPS, 31% of females in the reproductive age group availed JSY as applicable, 12% availed AB-PMJAY, 67.6% of the fixed place vendors, and 67.3% of the mobile cart vendors did not avail any social security scheme. None of the vendors had any type of medical health insurance and only 59.4% of the vendors were below poverty line card holders. Conclusion: Most of the vendors and their family members used government facilities (26.9%) and only 44.4% were availing the social security schemes. Timing of vending (part/full time), time of visit of different health-care facilities, and financial status were the important determinants of utilizing healthcare. Therefore, government run health-care centers should be made more accessible and available to the unorganized working class.

Political meddling in social assistance programme: Panel data evidence from India

AbstractThis paper examines the role of the horizontal and vertical network in aiding eligible individuals to receive Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme. A vertical network refers to a household's political connection, and a horizontal network denotes the interconnectedness with others in the society. We have used data from all India representative individual level (2004–2005 and 2011–2012) panel data released by the India Human Development Survey. Our estimated results from the individual level fixed effects model suggest that programme eligible individuals with vertical networks have a higher probability of receiving the programme. Sub‐sample heterogeneities are detailed in the paper.

Living Arrangements of Rural Elderly Women in Haryana, India

In this study we have investigating the living arrangements, decision making pattern, and position of elderly women in Haryana state. In spite of it we are also analyzing the dependence and dependents of elderly women after getting old age pension which is known as Old Age Samman Allowance (OASA) in Haryana and Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) at national level. The study was done in Haryana state of India and data was collected from 200 elderly women of age 62 years or above from four different village (50 women from each village) of Haryana. In results majority of elderly women were living with their family members and only 2 percent elderly women were living alone and dominance of male members either the spouse or son as head of the family was observed. Closest family member were their children either son or daughter. Though the elderly women were not head of the family, but majority of them had involvement in decision making related to household matters. Economic dependency of more than 35. 0 percent of the selected elderly women in spite of getting financial assistance of Rs. 2250 per month as OASA assistance raises the question of utilization of this assistance by the actual beneficiaries. Around half of the financially independent elderly women were supporting at least one person in their family. The elderly women either supported their son or grandson but not the spouse. In total old age samman allowance is very beneficial and much needed to the elderly as they become self-dependent and could live their life with full of dignity and according to their wishes.

The Welfare Effects of Social Assistance Programs for Women in India

Literature has established that the alarming female poverty rate is a crucial factor contributing to missing older women in India. Given this, the following research examines the role of an unconditional cash transfer programme (Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme) implemented in India on the household budget share incurred on cereals, pulses, vegetables; fruits and nuts, meat; eggs and fish, milk and milk products when the program recipient is an elderly woman. The paper uses the longitudinal household-level data (2004–05 and 2011–12) released by the India Human Development Survey and utilises a quasi-experimental framework of propensity score matching combined with fixed effects to estimate the effects of the pension on the disaggregated food budget share incurred by the pension recipient households. The findings in this paper suggest that women’s access to pension has a positive effect on budget share allocated on vegetables, fruits and nuts and meat, fish and eggs. The positive effects persist for continuous program recipients. Further, to address any concerns on endogeneity, an instrumental variable strategy has been used. This paper provides evidence that female pension recipient households in India do move towards nutrient-rich food items.

Analysing the burden of morbidity, associated expenditure, and coping strategies among india's elderly population: Evidence from national sample survey 75th round.

An increase in average life expectancy has raised a concern about whether these extra added years are characterized by good health and independence or health problems and dependency on others for care. The current study aimed to analyze the morbidity burden, associated expenditure, and coping strategies among India's elderly population. The study uses cross-sectional data of the National Sample Survey 75th round. Multivariable logistic regression has been used to examine morbidity and associated expenditure differentials among the elderly population in different socioeconomic variables in India. Findings show that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of morbidity and economic burden among the elderly population in India in the case of inpatient care. However, in outpatient care, CVDs are the leading cause of morbidity, while cancer is the main cause of economic burden (measured only through OOPE). Although CVDs are the leading cause of morbidity and economic burden, psychological and neurological, injuries, cancer, and gastrointestinal ailments force the elderly population to borrow for inpatient care. Further, it is the oldest, minority (Muslims) and richest section of the elderly population who are most likely to report health issues. Gender differential is also clear from the results as females are more likely to report for ailments in outpatient care, whereas the reverse is the incident in inpatients. The study concluded that there is a need to increase government spending on social security such as old age pensions like Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, keeping in view the changing needs of the elderly population.

Awareness and utilization of various schemes launched by government of India for the welfare of senior citizens

Background: Government of India has provided various welfare services to support the elderly population, but awareness and utilization of these services is questionable. Objectives of the study were to assess the awareness and the extent of utilization of various schemes by the senior citizens.Methods: Using systematic random sampling technique, 420 senior citizens visiting out patient department of a tertiary care centre were enrolled in the study. Information was obtained regarding the sociodemographic profile and the awareness and utilization of various welfare services by the participants. Four adjoining states (Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh) were purposely included in the study.Results: The mean age of the participants was 67.84±5.91. Maximum awareness was observed for old age pension scheme in all the four states. A gap was observed in the awareness and utilization of various senior citizens schemes. There was significant difference in awareness and utilization of most of the schemes amongst all the four states.Conclusions: There is a need to generate awareness regarding various schemes for the senior citizens among the general public of India in the Northern Region as a lot of gap was observed in the awareness and utilization of these services.

Awareness and Utilization of Social Security Schemes by the Elderly Population of District Faridabad, Haryana, India

Background: The currently young and productive country will be growing old in near future. The burden of elderly dependents is increasing and on the other side the informal care givers number is projected to decrease. Hence the responsibility of providing the social security to our elderly dependents lies on the government. Objectives: To assess the level of awareness and utilization of social security schemes among elderly of rural and urban Haryana. Methods: A descriptive observational cross sectional study was undertaken in the urban and rural field practice area of medical college in Haryana, India. A sample of 234 elderly (>=60 years) was interviewed regarding awareness and utilization of country and state specific social security schemes. The data is presented in descriptive format. Results: The awareness in the study population ranged from 6.8% to 85.5%. The majority of population had awareness about old age pension schemes (85.5%) and this was higher among rural as compared to urban but utilization was 41%. 32.1% of elderly utilized travel concession provided to the geriatrics in public transport and this was higher among urban area. Majority (94.7%) of economically independent elderly was aware of and utilizing any of the scheme. Conclusion: The awareness and utilization gives a picture of demand side evaluation of any services. Even if the awareness is good the utilization decreases for any security scheme due to delayed administrative procedures and decreased mobility of geriatrics.

Does the old-age pension scheme improve household welfare? Evidence from India

Abstract As India’s population has been ageing due to declines in fertility and mortality rates, more policy emphasis has been placed on reducing poverty among the elderly. The present study aims to examine the effect of Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) on household welfare indicators, such as consumption expenditure, income, assets, and poverty. Using the household longitudinal data based on the India Human Development Survey in 2004–5 and 2011–12, we have applied the Propensity Score Matching to build a counterfactual group and have used the propensity-score weighted fixed effects model to eliminate time-invariant unobservable household characteristics. The results show that the IGNOAPS participation increased consumption expenditure, food and non-food expenditure and assets, while reducing the household labour supply. The sub-sample estimations show that these effects are observed only when recipients are women. However, the results of Difference-in-Difference model imply that the poverty-reducing effect deteriorated in 2011–12 after the government made several changes to programme specifications in 2007. This was likely because some households which accessed IGNOAPS after 2007 reduced the labour supply significantly while keeping the level of consumption.

The Welfare Effects of Social Assistance Programmes for Women in India

The literature has established that the alarming female poverty rate in India is a crucial factor contributing to ‘missing elderly women’. This paper examines the role of an unconditional cash transfer programme (the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme – IGNOAPS) implemented in India on household expenditure on education, medical expenses and food items when the programme recipient is an elderly woman. The paper uses the longitudinal household-level data (2004–05 and 2011–12) released by the India Human Development Survey and utilises a quasi-experimental framework of propensity score matching combined with fixed effects to estimate the effects of the pension amount received by elderly women on disaggregated consumption expenditure. The findings of this research suggest that women’s access to IGNOAPS has a positive effect on consumption expenditure on nutrient-rich food, while the pension amount also increases education and medical spending. The results obtained in the paper are explained through the elderly women’s increased bargaining power and the income effect. The results remain consistent after addressing concerns about endogeneity using an instrumental variable. The study provides evidence that elderly women’s access to IGNOAPS reduces household food poverty and improves other welfare dimensions in the household.

Review of health-care services for older population in India and possibility of incorporating AYUSH in public health system for geriatric care.

Background:In a developing country like India, which has 10.11% population of >60 years age and a projection of rise of the same by 300% in 2050, health care of elderly is an enormous challenge. The developed world has evolved many models for elderly care, for example, nursing home care, health insurance, etc. Indian Government has also taken multiple measures in this direction by initiating National Policy on Older Persons, 1999, the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, the Old Age Pension Scheme, Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana 2017, etc. However, there is a necessity that, India must rapidly adapt to the complex health related, social and economic challenges caused by these demographic changes. This may be an opportunity for innovation in the health system by developing a perspective for healthy and active aging, though it is a major challenge. Health care of the older people cannot be achieved unless total health, i.e., physical, social, economic, psychological, and spiritual aspects are addressed.Objective:The objective is to study current policies regarding geriatric health care in India and to propose the possibility to develop a model to provide comprehensive and dedicated health-care services to the older population by integrating conventional and indigenous systems of medicine dwelling in the country.Materials and methods:Electronic search in various scientific journals for research and review articles; electronic along with hand searching of conference proceedings, brochures, government policy documents, press releases, Ayurveda classical texts, etc., regarding geriatric health care in India and model health-care facilities in other countries and regarding of AYUSH systems in geriatric health care in India.Results:There is an urgent need of adaptation and modification in the National Health System to cater the actual requirements of the elderly with plans and strategies dedicated to face their health-related challenges. Adoption of inclusive health-care interventions, can improve health outcomes by making it more acceptable, accessible, and affordable.Conclusion:Integration of AYUSH at various levels of health-care delivery system can potentially contribute to provide unique newer dimensions to the field of geriatric care in India.

Pension Reform in Russia: Assessing the Susceptibility of GDP Production to a Shift in the Number of the Working-Age Population

The presented study considers the susceptibility of gross domestic product (GDP) production to a shift in the number of the working-age population due to an increase in retirement age starting with 2019.Aim. The study aims to examine the quantitative assessments of GDP production in Russia with allowance for the changes in the number of the working-age population due to an increase in the actual retirement age.Tasks. The authors forecast the number of the working-age population with allowance for an increase in the retirement age; develop a model to establish a correlation between the number of the workingage population, investment in fixed capital, and GDP production; quantify the impact of the shift in the number of the working-age population on GDP production in Russia.Methods. This study is based on the results of modeling and long-term forecasting.Results. An economic-mathematical model to establish a correlation between the number of the working-age population, investment in fixed capital, and GDP production is presented. To specify the economic effects of a shift in the number of the working-age population due to an increase in the retirement age, Russia’s GDP production is forecasted for the “old” and “new” (increased retirement age) pension scheme. The forecast is provided for three variants of the number of the working-age population.Conclusions. It is found that with the “old” pension scheme with a lower retirement age GDP production across all three variants will decrease by 2036 compared to 2017. With regard to the “new” scheme that increases the retirement age, it is concluded that an increase in the retirement age is a factor that facilitates GDP production. However, its effect on economic growth will be insignificant.

The Intergenerational Impact of China's New Rural Pension Scheme

The Intergenerational Impact of China's New Rural Pension Scheme

Old Age Pension Scheme in India: Distributional Impacts

This article develops an empirical framework for the estimation of the economic effects and impacts of the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) and other socio-economic variables related to poverty among elderly individuals in India. Based on an official data sample of 9,852 elderly individuals, it produces evidence of the poverty-reduction effects of IGNOAPS, suggesting that it could be justified to promote more active policy support for this scheme as an instrument of poverty alleviation among elderly individuals. Four areas of policy intervention are identified for reformulation: increased pension expenditure by adjusting for inflation, linking the pension expenditure to economic growth, correction of inclusion and exclusion errors and extension of coverage to all elderly individuals in below poverty line families. It is argued that a move towards full pension provisions for all eligible elderly individuals may reduce personal income inequalities among India’s elderly population. This could also be a constitutionally sound approach applied to other countries in South Asia.

Epistemological globalization and the shaping of social policy in China

Most studies on social policy research in China have followed the logic of methodological and theoretical nationalism. However, increased communication across borders and the trend of internationalization in the domain of social policy have challenged uniquely nationalistic narratives. The emergence of studies on global social policy has contributed to constructing an international arena of social policy within which the interplay of various international and supranational actors has exerted considerable influence on agenda setting and the conceptual frameworks of national social policy. However, such a theoretical approach has been neglected in both Chinese and international academia. This essay connects to the research on global social policy and elaborates an independent communication field transcending the scope of state-centered social policy. Through analyzing three social policy fields—old age pension schemes, work accident insurance and social assistance scheme since the reform and open-door policy—the author constructs an interaction and communication arena strongly shaped by international semantics and narratives. Epistemological globalization assumes that national knowledge reserves and structures are increasingly shaped by the flow of ideas across nation-state borders.

Government Policies and Programmes for Elderly Women in India: A Special Reference to Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme in Slums Areas of Aligarh

There are various policies and programs being run by the government of India for uplifting the status of the citizens. This paper focuses on the policy that has been particularly introduced for the betterment of elderly people named Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme popularly known as ‘Vridhdha Pension’. The main aim of this study is to gather information about the implementation of this scheme on elderly women in slum areas of Aligarh city and the behaviour of the people of the concerned departments towards them. 40 elderly women were selected randomly from slum areas for this study. Interview schedule was used for data collection. The analysis of the data results in the view that there are a number of impediments in the way of receiving the pension and in approaching the concerned authorities