Senior Citizens of India

This book provides an overview of multiple facets of ageing and its evolving dynamics in various Indian states. It elaborates on key dimensions like health, dependence and disability, as well as living arrangements for the elderly. Drawing on information from National Sample Surveys to offer readers a broader and richer understanding of the evolving demographic reality in India, the book addresses a range of detailed policies and programmes for the elderly in India. Given its scope, the book is essential reading for students and researchers in the fields of sociology, demography, economics and development studies. It also offers a valuable reference guide for anyone engaged in planning and policy formulation for social security, welfare of the aged or mainstreaming ageing concerns.

Prof. S. Irudaya Rajan is Professor at the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Currently, he is the President of the Association of Gerontology (AGI, India) as well as Kerala Economic Association (KEA). He has three decades of research experience and has published extensively in national and international journals on social, economic, health and demographic facets of population ageing. He is the lead author of the book India’s Elderly: Burden or Challenge? (1999) and has edited the books Social Security for the Elderly: Experiences from South Asia (2008); India’s Aged: Needs and Vulnerability (2017); Elderly Care in India: Societal and State Responses (Springer, 2017) and Abuse and Neglect of the Elderly in India (Springer, 2018). Professor Rajan has been involved in several projects on ageing funded by the United Nations (UN), United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), World Bank (WB), International Labour Organization (ILO), HelpAge International, South Asian Network of Economic Institutes, Indo-Dutch Program on Alternatives in Development (IDPAD), Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute and International Development Research Centre. He has also undertaken considerable research on international migration and is the Editor of two series – India Migration Report and South Asia Migration Report. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Migration and Development since 2012.

Prof. Udaya S Mishra is a Statistician/Demographer serving as a Faculty at the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. He is engaged in research and teaching on population and development issues and has a number of national and international publications to his credit. He has served in various capacities of guiding scientific research in social sciences. During his two and a half decades of teaching and research experience, he has contributed in the areas of ageing, health, nutrition as well as population policy and programme evaluation. His research interests include measurement issues in health and equity focus in evaluation of outcomes.