December 21, 2007...1:03 pm
Forced to Love Your Old Parents
The Maintenance of the Welfare of Parents and other Senior Citizens Bill, 2007 was passed by both Houses of Parliament. The purpose of the bill was to take effective measures to take care of the senior citizens. Under this Act, the maintenance of those over 60 by their adult children, grandchildren and legal heirs is a matter of right for parents. Parents may approach a tribunal in order to claim need-based maintenance. Parents and senior citizens may reclaim property gifted to children or relatives if the latter fail to provide the former with “basic facilities and basic physical needs”. The penalty for “abandoning” a parent in someone’s care is punishable with imprisonment of up to three months, a fine of Rs.5,000 or both.
Nobody can deny that the young should take care of their parents. To love and take care of parents should be a natural instinct of children and should not be forced on them by law. We have laws dealing with dowry and child labour.We have achieved little success on those fronts. Senior citizens need a tight social security net in order to live with grace and dignity. But this cannot be achieved by legislation alone. The plight of the old-age parents thrust upon their children to be forcibly looked after can be imagined. They might undergo mental and verbal torture every day. Children who are forced to take care of their parents may not react very well. An old lady remarked- no law can force a daughter-in -law to give you a hot cup of tea in the morning.
It is difficult to imagine parents sending their children to jail, however the scare of parents reclaiming property gifted to children might force children to take care of the parents. A fine of 5000/ Rs is too small an amount to make a difference to anybody.Providing financial support and care required for older citizens is becoming difficult by the day. With nuclear families, shrinking residential space in big cities and employment-related migration on the rise long-term planning on the part of everyone can be the only sure remedy to the problem. Parents should plan their finances for old age well in advance.
8 Comments
December 21, 2007 at 1:31 pm
You’re very right. Since you don’t really know how your children will treat you in the future, parents have to secure their future because we may like it or not, but people like Shravan Kumar no longer exist.
December 21, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Prerna:
Your conclusion is in line with what I suggested earlier this week in the comments following Nita’s post on the matter.
Comment
here
Your mention of dowry laws is exactly the kind of issue where laws do not work because we are too keen to stick to ‘traditions’ that are crumbling in the face of the pressures of life.
December 21, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Yep.. anyone form our generations should definitely save for their post retirement years… This law will perhaps help those generations who are already in that part of their life… They were brought up to some very twisted give everything to your kids and they will take care of you mind set and they never really planned for these times… It gets quite ugly when their kids who are otherwise ding well leave them…
December 22, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Thanks Ish, Shefaly and Anshul.
December 22, 2007 at 1:06 pm
People shouldn’t need laws to take care of their parents ! o well, i guess I know why I never went to lawschool :p
December 22, 2007 at 7:37 pm
I welcome this decision..I have seen ppl pushing parents out of their homes.Its the moral duty of childrens to look after their parents.Those who don’t do it are criminals themselves even before this law is enacted.
January 1, 2008 at 7:03 pm
@ Prerna:
May be you are right. but what about those who dont have enough resources to plan their future? Can this law help to them?
March 5, 2008 at 6:14 pm
its just not a law, it is decreed from the Lord- who created all that exists in heavens and earth, the following verse was revealed 1428 years ago in the Quran.The Qur’an has taught highest moral standards higher than today’s moral values on paper.
And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.[Quran - chapter17 : verse 23]
else where in the Quran for your reference; 2:83 - 2:215 - 4:36 - 16:90 - 29:8 - 31:14 - 46:15,17.
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