SENIOR CITIZENS

“The recession and inflation over the last year and more has broken the middle class and crushed low income groups,” says B.D Sharma, a retired director of public relations with the Himachal Pradesh government.  “Whatever I and my wife, who also retired from a government job, had invested in a Fixed Deposited (FD) scheme,” says Sharma. “The regular interest income from this has dropped by 45 to 50% due to cut in interest rates, but our monthly household budget is up by 120%!” Urban families, especially in towns like Shimla, a hill town known even during pre-pandemic times for its…

The National Agitation Committee (NAC), a nationwide organization comprising EPS’95  pensioners, went on a  countrywide “One Day Fast” on June 1st to press their demands for the implementation of  a  Supreme Court judgement on Employees' Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS’95) dated October 4th, 2016. The verdict had directed the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to increase the pension amount based on the pensioners’ actual salary. Over 60 lakh members participated all over the country, with five lakh members from Karnataka, including one lakh from Bangalore taking part in the one day fast. The NAC plans to intensify its agitation if the union…

India is in the throes of the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. Cases are shooting up at alarming rates across the country every day. The crunch of medical resources on one hand, and the cost of treatment especially in critical cases on the other, have left citizens in dire straits. In these circumstances, health insurance and the extent of coverage received under existing policies assumes huge importance. Personal accounts are often not very encouraging. Jayalakshmi Krishnan from Chennai had opted for reimbursement when she was admitted to a private hospital for COVID treatment. "I was at the hospital's general…

The city that was once declared “Pensioners’ Paradise” has seen its elderly population treading the murky grounds of COVID since the past year. Data from the Health and Family Welfare Department of Karnataka tells us that while around 19,000 people were infected in the age group of 15-29 years from March 5 to April 5 as opposed to around 10,000 in the bracket of above 60 years, only 4 people died in the former age group against 214 senior citizens who succumbed to COVID. This means that the younger folks are getting infected more but they are recovering unlike senior…

Translated by Sandhya Raju மூத்த குடிமக்கள் மற்றும் 45 வயதுக்கு மேல் இணை நோய்கள் உள்ளவர்களுக்கு மார்ச் மாதம் 1-ம் தேதி இரண்டாம் கட்ட கோவிட் தடுப்பூசிக்கான பதிவு தொடங்கப்பட்டது. சுகாதார மற்றும் குடும்ப நல அமைச்சகத்தின் அறிவிப்பின்படி, பொது மக்கள் கோ-வின் வலைதளத்தில் மட்டுமே பதிவு செய்ய வேண்டும் என்றும் தடுப்பூசி பணியில் ஈடுபடுபவர்கள் மட்டுமே கோ-வின் செயலி உபயோகிக்க வேண்டும் என தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. Read more: Interview: When and how will Chennai get the COVID vaccine? எவ்வாறு பதிவு செய்வது? நேரடியாக சென்று பதிவு செய்ய முடியுமா? என்னென்ன அடையாள அட்டை தேவை? இது போன்ற பல கேள்விகளுக்கு இந்த கட்டுரை மூலம் பதிலளிக்க முயற்சித்துள்ளோம். கோவிட் தடுப்பூசி. படம்: வி. நரேஷ் குமார். பதிவு செய்யும் நடைமுறை என்ன? அருகாமையில் உள்ள தடுப்பூசி மையத்தில் தடுப்பூசி போட்டுக்கொள்ள கோ-வின் வலைதளமே அங்கீகரிக்கப்பட்ட பதிவு…

Raging through 2020 and continuing in the new year as well, the COVID-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus the state of health infrastructure in the country. The scramble for hospital beds across cities, oxygen scarcity and medicine shortage, the helplessness of patients suffering from other chronic or terminal illnesses highlighted the wide gaps in our public healthcare system. But apart from that, another issue that came into sharp public focus, after years of neglect, is the plight of senior citizens in our urban settlements. Unable to step out of the house as they came under the vulnerable category, and often…

Registrations for the second phase of the vaccine drive against COVID were kicked off on March 1st. In this phase, citizens above 60 years of age and people above 45 years of age with comorbidities can register themselves for getting the vaccine. According to the announcement made by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,  Co-WIN website is the only place for registration for common citizens and the Co-WIN mobile application is only for administrators.  Read more: Interview: When and how will Chennai get the COVID vaccine? But what is the registration process like? Is there any provision for offline…

The recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the city is a matter of great concern for Chennaites. Swati Amar unearths special problems of certain sections of people that are facing the pandemic differently. Baby on the Way Dr Priya Selvaraj, a fertility specialist, clinician and embryologist, and the assistant director of GG Hospital has been witness to how pregnant women are facing the COVID-19 situation: “We never stopped seeing pregnant patients during COVID (the pandemic). In fact, obstetrics care was one of the specialities where we instituted specific recommendations as per the norms of both international and national committees."” Dr Selvaraj…

Having a strong community group and active citizenry helps in many ways. Most importantly, it helps you tide over difficult times. We at Wagholi Housing Societies Association (WHSA) have always believed in these principles and fostered the same feeling among residents. Throughout the pandemic, we have stood together, taking care of each other’s back. WHSA has become a strong representation and support platform for various grievances and civic problems of Wagholi residents. From potholes to COVID-19 relief, the Association has helped its residents with every civic issue.    The global community is undergoing one of the toughest times in the history…

As we cover the COVID-19 outbreak in the city, we also asked various individuals, citizen groups and RWAs to explain how they have dealt with the COVID-19 crisis. In this piece, a senior citizen relates his experience during the lockdown. I'm not at all affected by the lockdown necessitated by the Covid-19 scare because, as a retired person, I am already under some sort of a lockdown. However, in the present situation, I am unable to perform some of my routine activities like going to the bank, park, temples and making occasional visits to other places.  So far, I have not…