DRAFT PAPER

Ageing, Poverty and Social Security in Orissa: Some Issues and Evidences

PAPER PREPARED FOR THE THIRD APISA CONGRESS

New Delhi
23-25 November 2007

ASWINI KUMAR MISHRA

[ICSSR DOCTORAL FELLOW, NKC CENTRE FOR DEV. STUDIES,
BHUBANESWAR-13, INDIA]
(Correspondence: Mishra.aswini@gmail.com)

Abstract: The rapid, large scale and widespread growth in the number of older people in
Orissa, one of the poorest regions of India is really a matter of concern. The
concentration of aged in terms of its share to total population found to be the highest one
amongst what are metaphorically called BIMARUO states in India. Once again, on the
other hand, the state earns the dubious distinction of being the poorest state in the country as
per the latest estimates for the year 2004-05. One of the plausible explanations of such high
incidence of poverty with relatively large number of poor is the ever increasing size of
elderly people in the state which are presumed to have limited access to and control over
economic resources. Here in Orissa, like in most of the states, more than 90 per cent of the
workers are working in the in the informal sector and most of them as a result of which,
are having no such statutory social security provisions owing to life cycle contingencies.
In this context, the growing size of the elderly population with inadequate social security
measures perpetuate their destitution and perennial poverty, as the conventional anti-
poverty programmes are supposed to bypass them as they are more specifically designed
for the working poor.

This paper analyses the growing insecurities being faced by the aged in Orissa by
assessing three major dimensions of vulnerability such as (i) living arrangements,
(ii)economic dependence, and (iii)health conditions, which have a strong bearing on their
well-being primarily based on NSSO’s two different round surveys carried out during
1995-96 (NSS 52nd round) and 2004 (NSS 60th round). The paper also examines the
coverage as well as adequacy of social assistance as a part of social security measures
and argues for universal coverage from human rights perspective.
 Ageing, Poverty and Social Security in Orissa: Some
Issues and Evidences

I. Introduction
Speaking at a seminar hosted by HelpAge International and partners in Washington DC
during 2002, Professor Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize winner and former Chief Economist
of the World Bank, said: ‘There is no subject of greater importance than the ageing of the
population and the provisioning of the social protection for older people. It affects the
very nature of our societies and concerns not only older people, but all sections of the
population’ (cited in Help Age International, 2004, p.2).

Until a few couple of decades ago, the issue of the elderly was not in the forefront of the
development agenda in the country. But now, the gradual marginalisation of the elderly
in the decision-making process in an average family and the break down of the family as
a traditional social unit that took care of the elderly, sick, widows and orphans has
brought forth problems of the elderly in the society (GoI, 2002).

Unfortunately, despite destitution being a critical social dimension of the problem of

ageing, the database on it is quite inadequate at present. Nevertheless, these are some of
the appalling features of older persons in India:
1. 90 per cent of older persons are from the unorganized sector, with no social
security at the age of 60.
2. 30 per cent of older persons live below the poverty line and another 33 per
cent just marginally over it.
3. 80 per cent live in rural areas.
4. 73 per cent are illiterate, and can only be engaged in physical labor.
5. 55 per cent of women over 60 are widows, many of them with no support
whatsoever.
6. There are nearly 200,000 centenarians in India.
Source: (http://www.helpageindia.org/ageingScenario.php).
Recent studies find that industrialisation, migration, urbanisation and westernisation have
severely affected value systems. The erstwhile joint family- the natural support system,
has crumbled. The fast-changing pace of life has added to the woes of the older person.
The worries of the elderly are not only concentrated on economic front but on social front
as well. The worries pertaining to the social relation aspect are much more complex as
compared to economic worries for those living in nuclear families or are living alone
(James, 1994). Some studies have shown that elderly people are often not well looked
after and deteriorating economic and social conditions of the elderly strongly favor for
providing social and health security to cover them ( Irudaya Rajan, 2004; Alam and
Karim, 2005).

Against of this backdrop, this paper discusses the situation of elderly in Orissa by
assessing some major dimensions of vulnerabilities, which have a strong bearing on their
well-being and urges the need for social security from rights perspectives. The paper is
organised into five sections: Section II analyses in brief the trends in ageing and poverty
across major states in India with particular reference to Orissa. Section III looks at the
socio-economic conditions of elderly in Orissa by assessing three major dimensions of
vulnerability such as (i) living arrangements, (ii) economic dependence, and (iii) health
conditions based on the NSSO’s two different round survey reports carried out during
1995-96 (NSS 52nd round) and 2004 (NSS 60th round). Section IV examines the
provision of social security arrangements in terms of its coverage and adequacy meant for
these utterly destitute in the state. Section V contains a few concluding observations on
the recommendations of the Working Group on Social Protection Policy- National
Social Assistance Programme and Associated Programmes, GoI (2006), Ministry of
Rural Development, New Delhi.

II. Trends in Ageing and Poverty–A Closer Scrutiny

The growth in numbers and proportions of older people is most rapid in ‘developing’
countries. In India, in the year 2001 over 76 million (76.62 million to be precise) were in
the age group of 60+. This population is expected to go up to 173 million by the year
2026 and a whopping 324 million by the year 2050 (Census of India 2001, 2006;
HelpAge India-2005). It means that 7.45 per cent of the total population in the year 2001
belonged to what is referred to as the older age group. The proportion is expected to
increase to 12.4 per cent by the year 2026 and ultimately to 21 per cent by the year 2050.

A closer scrutiny of aged population in Orissa reflects that both in absolute and relative
terms it is rising rapidly in the state. The number of elderly (those belonging to the age
group 60 years and above) which was 22.81 lakh in 1991, grew to 30.39 lakh in 2001. A
majority of the elderly of the state- 88 per cent- live in rural areas. The concentration of
aged in terms of its share to total population tends to be higher in the rural areas (8.58 per
cent) than in the urban areas (6.43 per cent) and for all areas, it is 8.26 per cent of the
total population in the state. In fact, this proportion is found to be the highest amongst
what are metaphorically called BIMARUO states in India (Table 1). Moreover, the share
is likely to increase in the coming years and is attributed to demographic transition. As
per the Population Projections, the number of elderly in Orissa is likely to be around
62.69 lakh in 2026; i.e., an increase of more than two times in a span of 25 years, and the
share of the elderly is expected to be 13.8 per cent of the total population (Census of
India 2001, 2006).

An important way of looking at the burden of the elderly for any society is the old-age
dependency ratio. The old age dependency ratio defined as the number of persons in the
age group 60 years and above, per 100 persons in the age group 15-59 years is a useful,
notional indicator of the extent of economic support those in the working age group have
to provide to the dependent elderly. The old age dependency ratio has increased
marginally from about 12.74 per cent in 1991 to 14.14 percent in 2001, being somewhat
higher for females than for the males. The ratio is found to be the fourth highest in the
case of Orissa among the major states in the country following Kerala, Punjab and
Maharashtra (Table 1). As per the Population Projections, the ratio would be around 21.2
per cent in 2026 (ibid.). Any increase in the old age dependency ratio implies that an
increasing number of the elderly, generally with altered physiological, psychological or
sometimes even professional capabilities and with reduced work participation rates have
to depend more and more on the population in the working age group for support. This
could have serious implications for the well-being of the elderly at household level (GoI,
2002).

It is worth mentioning that the poverty incidence, which was 65.29 per cent in 1983,
declined significantly to 48.56 per cent in 1993-94 and further marginally to 46.4 per cent in
2004-05 (and now the state earns the dubious distinction of being the poorest state in the
country). The HCR declined by 2.33 percentage points per annum during the period 1983-94
and only 0.37 percentage points per annum during the period 1994-2005. Moreover, the
absolute number of poor persons is found to be increasing at a significant rate of 1.5 lakh
persons per annum between 1993-94 and 2004-05 (Table 2). On the other, the share of work
force in the organised sector is shrinking. At present it is estimated that only five per cent of
the work force is in the formal sector in the state and most of which are assumed to be
covered under statutory social security measures.

Therefore, what is found from the recent data that at the one hand, the magnitude of poorer
people is relatively high compounded with sluggish pace of reduction in the incidence of
poverty and on the other, the share of elderly population is increasing at a steady rate. So it
suggests that a large number of older people in the state are either poor or at serious risk of
poverty. Study shows that households with older people are poorer, almost without
exception, in comparison to those households without them (Schwartz, 2003). Chronic
Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) identifies a large segment of unemployable (like the old
and the handicapped, the widows, the orphans) -owing to life cycle contingencies or
exigencies- to fall into the category of being chronically poor in any society. The focus of
the present paper is analyzing the situation of older people in Orissa and the next section
addresses some basic issues pertaining to it.

III. Situation of Elderly in Orissa

The elderly in a poverty ridden state like Orissa are more vulnerable and in this context,
the issue of social security assumes greater significance. To understand the nuances, an
examination of some demographic and socio-economic indicators of older persons- in
terms of their living arrangement, extent of economic independence, economic service
providers and health condition- is required. At the outset, it needs to be mentioned here
that barring very few studies (like Panda, 1997) no such systematic attempts have so far
been made in order to assess the growing insecurities being faced by the aged in Orissa.
However, NSSO’s two different round surveys carried out during 1995-96 (NSS 52nd
round) and 2004 (NSS 60th round) give valuable information about the nature and
dimensions of the conditions of and socio-economic problems faced by the aged in the
state. The results of these two surveys in addition to that of the results of the last two
censuses have been used in our subsequent analysis and wherever possible, inferences have
been drawn to assess the changes over this period.

1. Living Arrangement:
The term ‘living arrangement’ is used to refer to one’s household structure (Palloni,
2001). Irudaya Rajan et al. (1995) explain living arrangements in terms of the type of
family in which the elderly live, the headship they enjoy, the place they stay in and the
people they stay with, the kind of relationship they maintain with their kith and kin, and
the extent to which they adjust to the changing environment. While dealing with the
welfare of any specific group, it is important to study their pattern of living arrangement.

There exist several living patterns for the elderly such as living with the spouse, living
with children, living with other relations and non-relations and living alone (as an inmate
of old age homes or otherwise). Panda (1997) in his study of living arrangements of the
elderly in rural Orissa found that nearly one-fifth of the elderly were living alone and
further one-tenth were living only with spouses without direct support and care from kin.
Nevertheless, one of the striking findings of his study was that living arrangements of the
elderly were not homogeneous, but differ significantly in terms of age, gender, marital
status and economic status-viz. old-old (70+), women, widowed and poor( landless and
low income) are more likely to live alone.

Two rounds of surveys of NSSO (52nd round for the year 1995-96 and 60th round for the
year 2004) give information on living arrangements of the elderly. The 2004 results for
Orissa show that about 50 per cent of the aged were living with their spouses and other
members and another 30 per cent were living without their spouses but with their
children, while about three per cent were living with other relations and non-relations.
Nevertheless, about 12 per cent were living with their spouses only while about three per
cent were still living alone. Moreover, the living arrangement of the aged has changed to
some extent over time since 1995-96. A perusal of data between these two survey periods
(1995-96 and 2004) reveals the following:
1. The proportion of the aged who lived with their spouses only had gone up
significantly from 8 to 12 per cent in urban areas and remained the same in rural
areas.
2. The proportion of the aged who lived with their children only had
however, gone down from a already low of 31 per cent to 26 per cent in urban
areas. On the other hand, the proportion of the aged who lived with other
relations and non-relations had gone up from 3 per cent to 5 per cent in urban
areas. This probably reflects the further weakening of the extended family system
in the state as evidenced in other part of the country.

2. Economic Independence:
The living arrangement depicts how the physical well-being of the aged is taken care of
in the family in our society. Similarly, the economic independence reveals the associated
problem of day-to-day maintenance of livelihood of the elderly. The distribution of aged
persons by state of economic independence for the state as per NSSO survey(NSS 60th
round for the year 2004) shows that as high as 70 per cent of the aged had to depend on
others for their day-to- day maintenance. The estimated number of aged dependent was
found to be around 20 lakh in the state.

About one-sixth (16 per cent) of elderly in rural areas and urban areas are partially
dependent on others and more than a half (54 per cent) of the total elderly are fully
dependent on others in rural and urban areas(It is assumed that fully dependent elderly
need social security in old ages as they are below poverty line).

The state of economic independence by gender as expected was worse for elderly females
compared to their male counterparts. Among them, about 90 per cent were economically
dependent either partially or fully. In this respect, males were much better off - 45 per
cent among them did not depend on others for their livelihood.

Compared to 1995-96, the results of the NSS for the year 2004 indicate the following:
1. The incidence of economic independence has decreased among elderly in
rural areas.
2. The aged who had to depend on others (for their day-to- day maintenance)
fully has increased both in rural and urban areas.
3. The economic condition of the elderly females has deteriorated both in
rural and urban areas.

3. Economic Support Providers:

As has been observed above, a large proportion of the elderly are economically
dependent on others for their livelihood. It is, therefore, pertinent to know who the
persons are who are providing economic support to the elderly. Such information was
collected in the rounds of two NSSO surveys mentioned above. It is seen that of the
economically dependent aged, a majority (about 78 per cent) had to depend on their
children and a sizable proportion (13 per cent) on their spouses for their economic
support. Only 3 per cent were supported by their grandchildren and the rest (6 per cent)
had to depend on ‘others’, including non-relations. Between the years 1995-96 and 2004,
the distribution of the aged who were economically dependent changed in respect of the
category of persons supporting them for their livelihood. In the inter-survey period, these
are the major findings:
1. The proportion of the aged males and females in rural areas depending on
their children for economic support has decreased (from 81 per cent in 1995-96 to
76 per cent in 2004).
2. Those depending on their spouse and on ‘others’, including non-relations
have increased (from 11 per cent and 3.6 per cent in 1995-96 to 14 per cent and
 5.7 per cent in 2004 on their spouse and on ‘others’ respectively) significantly in
rural areas.
3. The proportion of those depending on their spouse decreased in the urban
areas (however, it has marginally increased among the aged
females).Nevertheless, those depending on ‘others’, including non-relations has
increased significantly in the urban areas as found in rural areas (from 1.8 per
cent in 1995-96 to 6.4 per cent in 2004).

4 Health Status:
Health problems are supposed to be the major concern of a society as older people are
more prone to suffer from ill health than younger age groups. It is often claimed that
ageing is accompanied by multiple illnesses and physical ailments. Several studies point
out that the health status of the aged should occupy a central place in any study of the
elderly population as the elderly seem to be suffering from various types of diseases and
disabilities (Dandekar, 1996; Alam and Karim, 2005; Irudaya Rajan, 2006).

A few attempts have been made at providing a profile of the illness patterns among the
elderly at the national and state level. Nevertheless, the following section analyses the
health condition of the elderly in Orissa based on the results of the NSS 52nd round. The
following two aspects are analysed:
a) Chronic ailments
b) Disability status

a) Chronic ailments:
In the 52nd round of NSS, information was collected from the aged on chronic ailments.
Among the aged, the prevalence rates (in per cent) were obtained for eight specified
chronic diseases, namely; cough, piles, problem of joints, high/low B.P., heart disease,
urinary problem, diabetics, cancer. The results of the survey give some gruesome pictures
for the state as compared to the all-India level and even in comparison to most of the
states. The followings are the major findings of the survey:
1) The prevalence rate of chronic diseases among the aged was in general found to be
very high and it was higher in rural areas (59 per cent) than in urban areas (51 per
cent). In contrast to this, at the all –India level, the rate was found to be higher in
the urban areas (55 per cent) than in the rural (52 per cent).
2) Excepting the case of ‘cough’, the prevalence rate was found to be higher in the
case of remaining seven diseases in the state in comparison to the all-India level. In
all, nearly 58 per cent of the aged persons were found to be suffering from any one
type of chronic disease in the state, which is five percentage points higher than all-
India level.
3) The prevalence rate of chronic diseases among elderly women is found to be higher
than their male counterparts both in rural and urban areas. Again in contrast to the
all-India level, the prevalence rate was found to be higher in rural areas (61 per
cent) than in urban areas (54 per cent) for elderly women (whereas, at the all-India
level, the prevalence rate for aged females was 51 and 56 per cent respectively in
rural and urban areas).
4) ‘Problem of joints’ (48.8per cent) and ‘high/low B.P.’ (15.2per cent) happened to
be the most severe diseases for the aged. ‘Cough’ (14.8per cent) came next in the
order of severity. It needs to be mentioned here that, as far as the ‘Problem of
joints’ is concerned, among the major states, Orissa ranks at number three following
Andhra Pradesh(51.8per cent) and Kerala (48.9per cent).

b) Disability status:
The NSS 52nd round also probed into five types of disabilities of the elderly. These were
visual impairment, hearing problem, difficulty in walking (locomotor problem), problems
in speech and senility. The following are the major findings of the survey:
1. Twenty-eight per cent of the elderly in Orissa suffered from visual impairment,
followed by hearing difficulties (18 per cent), locomotor disability (15 per cent),
senility (14 percent) and problems in speech (five per cent). Overall, more than 40
per cent of the aged in the state were found to be suffering from one or the other
of these five types of disability. The prevalence rate was higher in rural than in
urban areas.
 2. The prevalence rates of all the five disabilities were higher in the state in
comparison to the all-India level. Moreover, the prevalence rates in the case of
hearing problem, problems in speech and senility was found out to be the highest
and on the other hand, the rate in respect of difficulty in walking (locomotor
problem) was turned out to be the second highest after Kerala (15.5 per cent),
among the major states in the country.
3. Except for visual impairment, women were ahead in all type of disabilities
compared to males in the state just as it was found at the all-India level.

The above section gives a comprehensive picture of conditions of and problems being
faced by elderly in the state. Against this backdrop it seems very necessary to make an
overview of the existing social security arrangements meant for them and the following
section examines it.

IV. An Analytical Overview of the Performance and Functioning of Protective

Social Security Arrangements for Elderly in Orissa
All the state governments and UTs have their own schemes of social assistance
programmes. By the end of the Seventh Plan (1985-90), all the states and UTs had old-
age pension schemes; however, the extent of coverage was dependent on the resources of
the state. Prasad (1998) provides a review of social security schemes and programmes
carried out by various states of India. The review reveals the following :(i) Almost all
states and UTs have old-age pension schemes. A few states such as Andhra Pradesh,
Gujarat, Kerala and Tamil Nadu also have special schemes for agricultural labourer; (ii)
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat and Orissa have pension schemes for destitute widows and
physically handicapped; (iii) While Maharashtra has introduced an employment
guarantee scheme, states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat have unemployment relief
schemes; (iv) Maternity benefits for landless agricultural labourer have been introduced
in Gujarat, Karnataka and Kerala have schemes of work allowance to compensate for loss
of wage due to absence at work, however, are payable for the first and second issues
only; (v) Health care as a part of social security does not seem to exist in any state; (vi)
Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have certain welfare schemes exclusively for
women and children while a number of other states offer welfare benefits for various
categories of population below the poverty line; (vii) In most of the states, old age
pension schemes cover large number of beneficiaries whereas in Kerala and Tamil Nadu
coverage is higher even in the case of other schemes.

But the irony is that, barring few states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu most of the states do not,
yet, have adequate social security arrangements. Protective social security measures of
one form or another in these states have negligible coverage and impact.

Basically two social pension schemes namely, National Old Age Pension Scheme
(NOAPS) and State Old Age Pension Scheme (SOAPS) are in operational in the state. In
this section, a review of these two schemes for the benefit of vulnerable sections of the
population-destitute old people- has been made.

1. National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS):

For the first time in India, a social security system in the form of the National Social
Assistance Programme (NSAP) was introduced with effect from 15th August 1995.
NOAPS is one of the three components of this programme, envisages at benefiting to
poor households in the case of old age. It was obviously envisaged that more such
benefits would be added in due course to extend protection against other cases of
undeserved want. On March 19, 1999 the GoI announced another social assistance
scheme, “Annapurna”, under which an eligible elderly destitute who is not availing
pension under NOAPS, will be provided with 10 Kgs. of rice or wheat per month free of
cost. The Report of the Working Group on Social Protection Policy- National Social
Assistance Programme and Associated Programmes, Govt. of India (2006) observes that
“The NSAP was intended to be a significant step towards fulfillment of the Directive
Principles in Article 41 of the Constitution”.

Since the inception of the Scheme in 1995-96, it was a Central Sector Scheme. However,
from the financial year 2002-03, it has been transferred to the State Plan with the Govt. of
India releasing funds in the form of Additional Central Assistance (ACA) routed through
the State Budget.

Up to 2005-06, Government of India provided Rs.75 per month and the State
Government Rs.25 per month to each beneficiary under the above scheme. The pension
amount has been increased from Rs.100/- to Rs.200/- w.e.f. March 2006 payable
in April.06 by the Government of India. The Finance Minister of India in his Budget
Speech for the year 2006-07 urged the state governments to make an equal contribution
from their resources so that a destitute pensioner would get at least Rs.400 per month. As
per reports received, the States of Tamil Nadu, Uttrakhand, West Bengal, Rajasthan,
NCT of Delhi, UT of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Pondicherry have already started
disbursing Rs.400 per month or above for pensioners under NOAPS. However, it has not
yet been revised in Orissa (GoI, 2006).

The current target under this Scheme is 6.43 lakh as shown in Table 3. What is striking
to observe from Table 3 that whereas the additional increment in the targeted number of
beneficiaries (in per cent) over a period of five years during the 9th FYP was 74 per cent,
it was reduced to only 30 per cent in the next Five Year Plan (FYP). On the other hand,
the present coverage under Annapurna scheme (APY) is 64, 800 in the state.

Evaluation studies find that NSAP has in fact reached the target segment. Achievement
rates are also increasing over the years. Benefits offered under the programme have met
the objective as laid down in the programme. However, the programme now needs to re-
look into the numerical ceiling norms, provide provision for updating BPL list, clearly
define responsibility among the various functionaries involved in the implementation,
ensure timely release of benefit and lay greater emphasis on publicity and awareness
generation. However, a recent study (CMD, 2000) has made an assessment of the
effectiveness of the programme through nationwide survey and has ranked the states and
UTs according to their performance in the implementation of the NSAP schemes and
ironically Orissa is not even ranked among the first ten States/UTs. Even other income
poorer states namely, UP, MP got placed in it and this clearly reflects poor performance
of this programme in the state.

The Report of Working Group on Social Protection Policy- National Social Assistance
Programme and Associated Programmes, GoI (2006), Ministry of Rural Development,
New Delhi finds that the Scheme severely suffers for two reasons which cut across the
states: (i) it involves complex administrative procedures and, therefore, proves especially
difficult for the illiterates and (ii) the size of programme beneficiaries is capped
artificially by using an arbitrary ceiling formula 1 ”.

As far as ceiling formula is concerned, it assumes parity between the old age and the
general poverty. In reality, however, this may not be the case. Intra-household studies
have shown that aged men and women are far more vulnerable and lack bargaining
strength – especially in crisis situations. The second observation relates to the
discriminatory procedure, which is inbuilt in the ceiling formula namely, only half of the
below poverty aged are considered as worthy of pension benefits. The remaining half is
considered as drawing support from one or the other source. This leaves district
administrations and Panchayats with considerable leverage for subjective decisions”
(ibid). Adding to this, various evaluation reports and studies indicate that the criteria of
destitute cannot be defined clearly and that establishment of the destitution of beneficiary
is difficult. This leads to problems in the selection process.

2. State Old Age Pension (SOAP) Scheme:

The State Old Age Pension Scheme was introduced in the State w.e.f. 1.4.1975. Under
the Scheme, State Govt. is at present providing pension @ Rs.200/- per month per
beneficiary to old and destitute persons of 60 years of age and above, to leprosy patients
with visible signs of deformity and to destitute widows irrespective of age. For all the
above categories, the annual income of the beneficiaries must not exceed Rs.3200/-.

1
the ceiling formula used by the Centre to decide the size of target beneficiaries in each State, computed as:
Numerical Ceiling = Total Population x Poverty Ratio x proportion of 65 and above x 0.5)
Turning to the amount of assistance provided under the scheme it is found that the rate of
pension which was Rs.40/- per month per beneficiary during 1980-81, was revised to
Rs.60/- during 1989-90 and in the following year it was enhanced to Rs.100/- and this
amount of assistance remained unchanged till 2005-06. From April, 2006 the State Govt.
has enhanced the rate of pension under this scheme to Rs.200/- per month per beneficiary
alongwith the pensions under National Old Age Pension and Orissa Disability Pension
schemes. This means the value of assistance which was Rs.135 during 1990-91 in real
terms (at 1993-94 prices) started declining to reach at Rs.52 during 2005-06 i.e. by 61.48
per cent in a span of sixteen years.

The coverage under the scheme has been enhanced from time to time, though not in a
systematic manner. At the beginning of 8th FYP, the targeted number of beneficiaries
under the scheme was 4.5 lakh which rose to 5.3 lakh and further to 6.4 lakh respectively
at the beginning of the following two FYPs. As of now, 6.75 lakh destitute people are
receiving social assistance under this scheme. But, what is striking as observed from the
Graph 1 that the additional increment in the number of beneficiaries declined
successively during the last three FYPs.

Again this scheme suffers for two reasons, i) There is no systematic revision of coverage
as well as amount of assistance under the scheme in different years ii) the destitution
criteria based on the fact that the annual income of the beneficiaries must not exceed
Rs.3200/- has not been revised since long and that establishment of the destitution of
beneficiary is difficult. Adding to this since 1997 there is no revision of BPL list in the
state for which it is feared that there are a large number of potential beneficiaries at
present out of the ambit of social protection measures.

V. Concluding Observations
To conclude, this paper has shown thee extent of socio-economic vulnerabilities being
faced by the elderly in the state and also has made an assessment of coverage under
ongoing three social security schemes (namely; SOAPS, NOAPS and APY) for these
destitute people.
Moreover, till now, though these three above mentioned means-tested public provisioning
of social pensions are seen as ‘largesse…….. to the destitute older people’ and not as a
right. However, there is a growing recognition that neglect of the rights of older people is
unacceptable. Realising it, the Working Group, Govt. of India (2006) has recommended
for universalisation of social assistance for persons who have little or no income, being
unable to work, because of age, health or other reasons as a major form of comprehensive
social security. It is high time to implement recommendation put forth by the Working
Group with letter and spirit without any delay from human rights perspective. At the
same time as suggested by Mahendra Dev (2004), in addition to this social pension, there
is an urgent need for social insurance, particularly in the form of health insurance for the
destitute old people as health risks being faced by them not only make them vulnerable
but also to their families by involving serious economic damages. This also needs
government intervention, since private provider cannot venture into this sector due to the
risk of bankruptcy.

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Table 1: Proportion of Elderly and Old Age dependency Ratio across the States (Major) During the Last Three Census

Persons Aged 60 and Above — (Rural+Urban)Combined Old Age Dependency Ratio — (Rural+Urban)Combined (in per
(per cent of total population) cent)
Major States Male Female Persons Male Female Persons
1981 1991 2001 1981 1991 2001 1981 1991 2001 1981 1991 2001 1981 1991 2001 1981 1991 2001
Andhra
Pradesh 6.48 6.64 7.16 6.82 6.93 8.04 6.65 6.78 7.59 8.36 11.67 11.88 12.5 12.14 13.36 10.05 11.9 12.61
Assam — 5.65 5.81 — 4.98 5.90 — 5.33 5.85 — 10.34 10.18 — 9.31 10.51 — 9.85 10.34
Bihar* 6.77 6.53 6.49 6.83 5.97 6.38 6.8 6.26 6.44 13.27 12.68 12.58 14.83 11.4 12.22 13.99 12.06 12.41
Gujarat 5.52 5.96 6.17 5.16 6.84 7.70 5.33 6.39 6.91 10 10.32 10.23 11.61 11.96 12.83 10.78 11.11 11.47
Haryana 6.87 7.43 7.00 5.73 8.01 8.06 6.34 7.7 7.49 13.3 13.91 12.42 11 15.25 14.36 12.22 14.53 13.31
Karnataka 6.46 6.8 7.15 6.79 7.18 8.24 6.62 6.99 7.69 11.87 11.96 11.78 12.79 12.82 13.74 12.32 12.38 12.74
Kerala 7.15 8.33 9.59 7.84 9.29 11.31 7.5 8.82 10.48 12.59 13.72 15.24 13.49 15.07 17.73 13.05 14.41 16.53
Madhya
Pradesh* 6.09 6.51 6.64 6.83 6.77 7.65 6.45 6.63 7.13 11.54 12.11 12.09 13.19 12.7 14.13 12.33 12.4 13.07
Maharashtra 6.07 6.69 7.80 6.72 7.3 9.73 6.39 6.98 8.73 10.88 11.66 13.03 12.35 12.88 16.73 11.58 12.25 14.78
Orissa 6.13 7.18 8.05 6.66 7.23 8.47 6.39 7.2 8.26 11.25 12.67 13.80 12.47 12.81 14.48 11.85 12.74 14.14
Punjab 8.28 8.07 8.56 7.25 7.58 9.50 7.8 7.84 9.00 15.05 14.22 14.53 13.07 13.23 15.88 14.12 13.76 15.16
Rajasthan 5.78 6.08 6.22 6.29 6.52 7.31 6.03 6.29 6.74 11.14 11.55 11.74 12.33 12.4 13.86 11.71 11.95 12.76
Tamil Nadu 6.52 7.65 8.71 6.3 7.25 8.94 6.41 7.45 8.83 11.18 12.55 13.78 10.72 11.71 13.93 10.95 12.13 13.85
Uttar Pradesh* 7.05 7.22 7.08 6.6 6.46 7.01 6.84 6.86 7.04 13.8 13.89 13.69 12.72 12.35 13.45 13.29 13.17 13.58
West Bengal 5.32 5.93 6.72 5.8 6.17 7.53 5.55 6.05 7.11 9.36 10.29 11.15 10.71 11.06 12.82 9.99 10.65 11.95
All India 6.4 6.69 7.10 6.58 6.71 7.83 6.49 6.7 7.45 11.84 12.16 12.45 12.24 12.23 13.77 12.04 12.19 13.08
Note :(1) All India excludes Assam for 1981 and Jammu & Kashmir for 1991.
:(2) Old age dependency ratio is defined as the number of persons in the age group 60+ per 100 persons in the age group 15-59.
:(3)Asterisk sign denotes the undivided status of the state.
Table 2:Incidence of Poverty and Percentage Distribution of Poor and Population Share across States (Major) During Early 1990s and Early 2000s

Early 1990s Early 2000s Net Avg.

Change Annual
HCR=Poor Share No. of HCR=Poor Share in No. of in the Rate of
(BPL) in Total Population persons (BPL) Total Population persons No. of Decline in
(in 1993-94 in Poor Share (in BPL (in (in 2004-05 in Poor Share (in BPL (in Persons Poverty (in
%) (%) 1991 in %) lakh) %) (%) 2001 in %) lakh) BPL (in percentage
Sl.No. States Lakh) points)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12)
1 Andhra Pradesh 22.19 4.81 7.86 153.97 11.1 2.94 7.37 88.71 -65.26 1.01
2 Assam 40.86 3.01 2.65 96.36 19.7 1.85 2.59 55.77 -40.59 1.92
3 Bihar* 54.96 15.40 10.21 493.35 41.1 16.09 10.69 485.54 -7.81 1.26
4 Gujarat 24.21 3.28 4.88 105.19 16.8 3.01 4.93 90.69 -14.5 0.67
5 Haryana 25.05 1.37 1.94 43.88 14 1.06 2.05 32.1 -11.78 1.00
6 Himachal Pradesh 28.44 0.50 0.62 15.86 10 0.21 0.59 6.36 -9.5 1.68
7 Jammu & Kashmir 25.17 0.65 @ 20.92 5.4 0.19 0.99 5.85 -15.07 1.80
8 Karnataka 33.16 4.88 5.31 156.46 25 4.60 5.13 138.89 -17.57 0.74
9 Kerala 25.43 2.39 3.44 76.41 15 1.64 3.10 49.6 -26.81 0.95
10 Madhya Pradesh* 42.52 9.32 7.82 298.52 39.0 11.29 7.89 340.64 42.12 0.32
11 Maharashtra 36.86 9.53 9.33 305.22 30.7 10.52 9.42 317.38 12.16 0.56
12 Orissa 48.56 5.01 3.74 160.6 46.4 5.92 3.57 178.49 17.89 0.20
13 Punjab 11.77 0.78 2.40 25.11 8.4 0.72 2.37 21.63 -3.48 0.31
14 Rajasthan 27.41 4.01 5.20 128.5 22.1 4.47 5.50 134.89 6.39 0.48
15 Tamil Nadu 35.03 6.31 6.60 202.1 22.5 4.83 6.05 145.62 -56.48 1.14
16 Uttar Pradesh* 40.85 18.87 16.44 604.46 33.1 20.75 16.98 625.99 21.53 0.70
17 West Bengal 35.66 7.95 8.04 254.56 24.7 6.91 7.81 208.36 -46.2 1.00
All India 35.97 100.00 100.00 3,203.68 27.5 100.00 100.00 3017.2 -186.48 0.77
Note :( 1)@Excludes figures for Jammu and Kashmir where the 1991 census could not be conducted due to disturbed conditions.
: (2) Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh include the reorganised states of Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh and Uttaranchal respectively.
Source: (1) National Human Development Report-2001, Planning Commission, March 2002, Government of India
: (2) Government of India, Press Information Bureau, March 2007
: (3) Census of India, 1991& 2001.
Table 3: Poor Older Beneficiaries under Major Social security Schemes Since 8th FYP in Orissa

SOAPS NOAPS APY TOTAL

PLAN YEAR Achievement
Target Coverage Target Coverage Target Coverage Target Coverage
Rate (in %)
1992- -
450415 450415 - - - 450415 450415 100.00
93
1996-
511500 495981 283400 279577 - - 794900 775558 97.57
8th 97
1997-
519179 283400 279498 - - 813400 798677 98.19
98 530000
2001-
590000 579350 493400 492948 64800 64800 1148200 1137098 99.03
9th 02
2002-
640000 604833 493400 492883 64800 64800 1198200 1162516 97.02
03
2006-
675000 674473 643400 593593 64800 64800 1383200 1332866 96.36
10th 07
Source: Information solicited under Right to Information Act, 2005 from Women and Child Development Dept.,
Govt. of Orissa vide letter No.62/07 dated-21.07.07
 Graph 1 :Poor Older Beneficiaries under
Major Social security Schemes in Orissa
Targeted No. of
Beneficiaries
1500000 SOAPS
1000000 NOAPS
500000
0 APY
TOTAL
19 -93
19 -97

20 -02
20 -03
20 -98

7
-0
92
96
97
01
02
06
19

Year