CHENNAI: The Federation of Senior Citizen Associations of Tamil Nadu (FOSCATAN) has urged the state government to constitute a statutory senior citizens commission, increase the monthly old-age pension to Rs 3,000 and allocate more funds for elderly welfare in the revised 2026-27 Budget.
In a representation submitted to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, the federation said the number of senior citizens in the state, estimated at 1.04 crore (13.6% of the population) in 2021, is projected to rise to around 1.5 crore by 2031.
The federation recalled the previous government had announced the TN State Policy for Senior Citizens, 2023, and said the policy should now be implemented through legislation by establishing a statutory Senior Citizens Commission.
The proposed commission, modelled on Kerala’s recently constituted Senior Citizens Commission, should safeguard the rights and dignity of the elderly, address complaints of abuse and neglect, coordinate welfare measures across departments and monitor the implementation of programmes for senior citizens, it said.