764 senior citizen homes and a plan built around dignity: India's elderly-care scheme in numbers

India's elderly population is projected to reach 23 crore (230 million) by 2036 — and the support system is being built now, according to an official factsheet on the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana released this week. Under its Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens, the government released Rs 77.98 crore (about $8.2 million) in grants in the quarter to September 30 to 755 projects. The network it supports includes 764 senior citizen homes, 13 continuous care homes, 17 mobile medicare units that take healthcare to older people, and physiotherapy clinics — run with nonprofits, village councils and local bodies. A companion state programme trains geriatric caregivers and runs special cataract surgery drives, aiming at the scheme's stated goal: older persons leading dignified, fulfilling lives in their own communities.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: institutional program