The Kerala State Elderly Commission Act was passed in the Assembly on Wednesday. The Elderly Commission will come into effect with retrospective effect from December 21, 2024.

The Kerala State Elderly Commission Ordinance, 2024, was promulgated by the Governor December 19, 2024. The ordinance was of published in the Kerala Gazette Extraordinary on December 21. The Act will replace the ordinance.

The Elderly Commission will have a chairperson and not more than three members. Their tenure would be three years. The functions of the Commission are: One, issue guidelines for the welfare and protection of the elderly; elderly is a person who has completed 60 years of age.

Two, assist and arrange rehabilitation for the elderly.
Three, arrange legal aid for them, whenever required. Four, identify their skills and chanelise it for public good. Five, conduct investigation or inquiry and recommend necessary remedial measures for the implementation of the provisions relating to the welfare and protection of the elderly.

Six, co-ordination of various government departments. Seven, make necessary arrangements for the transfer of abandoned and orphaned elderly to care centres. Eight, advise the government on the programmes to be initiated for elderly welfare.

Nine, conduct a preliminary inquiry on a complaint of violence against the elderly, and if satisfied that a wrong has been committed, bring the issue to the notice of the concerned authorities.

Ten, conduct inquiry on a complaint received from prisons or lock-ups where the elderly are detained or other places related to custody and submit reports to the authorities concerned.

Eleven, prepare status statements of the elderly. Twelve, provide advice to the government on other matters referred to the Commission's consideration from time to time.

Minister for Social Justice R Bindu, while taking the Bill, said that the share of elderly in Kerala's population was growing. In 2011, they constituted 12.6% of the population. "Figures show that in 2018, it had risen to 23%," the minister said. "By 2030, they will form a quarter of Kerala's population," she said.

The minister also said that the number of elderly who were being subjected to violence was also on the rise. She said the Elderly Commission would probe whether the directives of the central legislation, Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, was implemented.

The MWPSC Act makes it legally binding for children and heirs to provide maintenance to their parents. It also empowers the government to ensure the welfare of senior citizens through old age homes and by providing medical care.