Can silver economy pitch, a new law alone protect Kerala’s elderly?
India Today · Jeemon Jacob ·
Kerala has among the highest life expectancies in India and its elderly numbers are expected to grow to around 21 per cent of the population by 2031
Kerala has among the highest life expectancies in India and its elderly numbers are expected to grow to around 21 per cent of the population by 2031
The Kerala legislative assembly recently unanimously passed the Senior Citizens’ (Care and Protection of Rights) Bill 2026, its main thrust being the silver economy and preventing the neglect and exploitation of elderly people.
Although socially conscious and highly literate, Kerala has not been all that geriatric friendly. Over the past seven decades, the state advanced on social indices while lagging behind economically despite a thriving remittance economy supported by an estimated 2.2 million non-resident Keralites (NRKs), who send home over Rs 2.16 lakh crore annually. In addition, thousands of students from the state are enrolled in foreign universities and engaged in temporary jobs in their destinations.
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