One umbrella for elderly welfare: what Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana brought together

Background

This background goes with the Centre's schemes for senior citizens, of which Ayushman Vay Vandana is the health arm.
Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana, shortened to AVYAY, was launched in 2021.
It took in and widened the earlier National Action Plan for Senior Citizens, bringing several elderly welfare programmes under one umbrella scheme.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal ministry.
The scheme covers shelter, food, healthcare and recreation, and supports active and productive ageing by building the capacity of governments, non-governmental organisations, local bodies and communities.
Its guiding ideas are 'Ageing with Dignity' and 'Ageing at Place', the second of which lets older people stay on in their own homes with home modifications and community support.
Census 2011 counted 10.38 crore senior citizens aged 60 and above, 5.11 crore men and 5.27 crore women, and the elderly population is projected to reach 23 crore by 2036.
For the quarter ending 30 September 2026 the Government released grant-in-aid of Rs 77.98 crore to 755 projects under the Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens.