Aging with Dignity: Kerala Forms India’s First Commission for the Elderly

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has become the first state in India to form a dedicated commission for senior citizens. The new body will look into issues like neglect, abuse, and the rights of elderly people. It will also help in making policies and giving support for their welfare and rehabilitation.

The Kerala State Senior Citizens Commission has been set up under a new law passed earlier this year — the Kerala Senior Citizens Commission Act, 2025. K. Somaprasad has been appointed as the first chairperson of the Commission. Amaravila Ramakrishnan, E. M. Radha, K. N. K. Namboothiri, and Lopes Mathew have been appointed as members. The team was officially welcomed by the state’s Minister for Higher Education and Social Justice, R. Bindu, during a ceremony at the Secretariat Durbar Hall.

The Commission will deal with the problems faced by older people in Kerala. This includes growing cases of abuse, financial neglect, and elderly people being left without support.

Kerala is facing fast changes in its population. The number of people aged 60 and above is increasing every year. In 2011, around 13% of Kerala's population was over 60. By 2021, the share of the elderly (60+) in Kerala's population had reached 16.5% and the state is also expected to become a "super aged" society by 2030.

The situation is similar across India. A 2023 report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said that India had 149 million elderly people in 2022. That is about 10.5% of the population. This number is expected to reach 227 million by 2036, and nearly 350 million by 2050. By 2050, it is anticipated that one in every five individuals in India will be elderly, with their share of the total population rising to 20.83%.

Women are more affected in old age. Many elderly women live alone, are widowed, or depend on others for care. Kerala’s women over 60 live longer than men, which means they often spend more years with limited income or support.

The idea of setting up such commissions is not new globally. In April 2025, the United Nations started talks to create a global agreement for the rights of older people. It would be a legal document to protect their dignity and ensure basic services. Though there is no international legally binding body to specifically designed to protect the human rights of the older persons.

At the regional level, the Jakarta Declaration, signed in 2022 by countries in Asia and the Pacific, focuses on people with disabilities. Though not only about elderly people, it includes goals like better access to services, safer transport, and support for those living with age-related disabilities.

Therefore, Kerala’s new Commission for the elderly is an important first step toward prioritising the rights and well-being of older citizens. This progressive move could set a precedent for other states, encouraging them to adopt similar initiatives and make elderly care a more prominent part of public policy across the country.