Thaindian News

Mumbai, Feb 20 (IANS) Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan has a valuable piece of advice for senior citizens - never bequeath your entire life’s savings to your children.”Give the best of education to your children. But do not give your entire life’s savings to your children. Save it for yourself,” he urged.

Sankaranarayanan was speaking at the 44th annual function of Swajan, an NGO of retired government officials here Saturday night.

Pointing out that the grey population of India is growing in numbers, the governor said much attention is needed for the welfare of the elderly than what was being given at present.

“Although Indian society has traditionally respected the elderly persons, the same is now declining on account of the collapse of the joint family system and the arrival of nuclear family,” Sankaranarayanan said.

He said there were growing reports of neglect and abuse of elders at the hands of their children and relatives, especially in urban areas. “I know of families who have forced their parents to live in out-houses or garages,” he said.

He called upon NGOs like Swajan to work in the area of providing social security to the elderly and emphasised on the need to create more old age homes, day care centres and mobile medical care units.

The governor also felicitated the state’s former director general of police A.N. Roy and others. Swajan Chairman K.C. Srivastava, a former municipal commissioner of Mumbai, also addressed the gathering.