[Answered] Critically analyze the report by UNFPA on India’s population dynamics. Suggest policy measures to address the challenges posed by demographic changes.

The India Ageing Report 2023, released by UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) India and the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), highlights the country’s rapidly aging population.

Evaluation of the report

• High Life expectancy of women: The report highlights that women have a higher life expectancy at ages 60 and 80 compared to men, with variations across states and territories. For eg, women in Kerala & Himachal Pradesh have a higher life expectancy than women in other states.
• Regional variations: The number of elderly people and their growth rates vary significantly amongst States with the elder population share greater in most southern states and a few northern states like Himachal Pradesh and Punjab than in the national average.
• Low Knowledge of Social Security Programmes: In India, the aged are not well-informed about the different social security programs that are available to them. A little over half of the elderly (55%) know about the Annapurna system, 44% about the widow pension system (IGNWPS), and 12% about the old-age pension program (IGNOAPS).
• Poverty: Older women are more likely to be widowed, live alone, have no income, possess fewer assets, and be completely dependent on their families for support, all of which negatively impact their quality of life and use of healthcare. As a result, poverty in old age is essentially gendered.

Policy measures that can address these challenges

• Social Security and Old-Age Support: Create extensive pension and social security programs to be ready for the aging population. Promote retirement savings and investments and bring all Old Age Homes under regulatory purview.
• Data collection and research: To help with informed policymaking, address the absence of reliable data on a variety of topics about the elderly by incorporating pertinent questions in data collection exercises like the National Sample Survey, the National Family Health Survey, and the Census of India.
• Women empowerment: The goal is to encourage women who have entered the professional workforce to have children through a mix of reproductive freedom, quality healthcare, work-life balance, adequate childcare, maternity leave, and teaching male partners about sharing household tasks to reverse the trend of declining fertility rates in developing nations.
• Better care of old people: The need is to emphasize the importance of elderly people living in multigenerational households & framing policies that facilitate and support this living arrangement. Short-term facilities like creches or day-care facilities can help elderly people receive better care when living with their respective families.

Conclusion

According to the report, India will have 347 million older people overall by 2050, when their percentage will have doubled to 20.8%. This unprecedented rise in the aging population will have significant implications for health, economy, and society in India. The need is to address these challenges and involve various stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society, and international organizations, in the development and implementation of policies to ensure their effectiveness.