By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The State Cabinet on Thursday notified the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 and has framed the Meghalaya Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Rules, 2012 under Section 32 of the Act, which will come into force in the State after necessary Assembly clearance.
The Act seeks to address the problems faced by aged and senior citizens who are not looked after by their wards.
Talking to media persons after a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Social Welfare Minister JA Lyngdoh informed that the Rules will be placed before the Assembly in the next session.
These Rules provide for constitution of maintenance tribunals at the Sub-Divisional level and Appellate Tribunals at the District level.
According to Lyngdoh, this tribunal will be headed by the respective SDO Civil and higher Appellate tribunals at the district will be headed by the Deputy Commissioners.
“The idea behind the Act is to see that aged people are not left ignored,” he told reporters.
Under the Act, parents and senior citizens will be empowered to lodge a complaint with the Tribunal if their children/wards do not care for them.
Earlier, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Mukul Wasnik had expressed disappointment over the delay in notification of the Act by several states including Meghalaya and had urged the State Government to immediately notify the Act for the benefit of the elderly citizens.
Under Section 4 (1) of the Act, senior citizens including parent, who are unable to maintain themselves from their own earnings or out of the property owned by them, would be entitled for maintenance allowance from children or relatives who are in possession of their property and are entitled to inherit the property in the event of their death.