Kerala to legislate a legal guarantee for senior citizens, Chief Minister says on the International Day of Older Persons

1 October 2026

On the International Day of Older Persons, 1 October 2026, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said a law will be framed to provide a legal guarantee to senior citizens.
He said the care is not a charity by the government but the right of senior citizens.
Kerala has set up a Department of Senior Citizens, which the Chief Minister described as the first such department in the country, as promised by the UDF in its assembly election campaign.
Satheesan said senior citizens will form nearly 38 per cent of Kerala's population by 2036, against 19 per cent for the country.
The government will prepare a register of senior citizens and the difficulties they face, and start a training course for caregivers.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala referred to the United Nations vision of rethinking systems for longer lives.
The state-level observance was held in Thiruvananthapuram.