Kerala plans to constitute a commission for senior citizens which will address issues related to the welfare of the elderly in the State, said Minister of Higher Education and Social Justice R. Bindu in Kochi on October 17.
She was speaking at the inauguration of a function to distribute certificates to those who had completed the Naipunya Nagaram programme being implemented by the Ernakulam district panchayat to impart hi-tech skills to the elderly. A get-together of the Naipunya Nagaram attendees was also part of the programme.
The Minister said that several programmes are being implemented in Kerala for the welfare of the elderly. It is important that the rich experience of senior citizens are utilised. Memory clinics and Vayomithram and Vayojana Parks programmes are also being set up in the State.
The Minister said that no modern life is possible without knowledge of digital technology as we live in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). It is a sine qua non for all to understand the new technologies and use them. The Naipunya Nagaram programme, in this way, is relevant and contemporary in its outlook, she said.
Ms. Bindu congratulated the district panchayat which conceived such a programme and implemented it.
A total of 740 people have completed the Naipunya Nagaram programme from the municipalities and panchayats in Ernakulam district. The programme will continue this year (2023) with new batches of “students’‘, said an Institute of Human Resources Development (IHRD) official. He pointed out that the Revive Programme, involving collecting defective computers, repairing and redistributing them, is being taken up as part of the continuation of the Naipunya Nagaram programme.
Uma Thomas, MLA, presided over the function organised at the Priyadarshini Hall of Ernakulam district panchayat. Hibi Eden, MP, District Collector N S.K. Umesh and district panchayat president Ullas Thomas were among those present at the occasion.
