The draft of the National Policy on Elderly People 2013 has been approved by the Cabinet in its weekly meeting held on 17 November. The policy recognizes those aged 60 and above as ‘senior citizens’ of the country and ensures their rights and welfare. It highlights dignified, healthy and safe social life for the elderly people providing them with ID and health cards, reserved seats in buses, trains, steamers, other public transports and gradually providing tickets at reduced rates, and establishing old homes.

 The Forum for the Rights of the Elderly (FRE-B) of which RIC, an FNB member organization is the Secretary-General, advocated the cause of the elderly for a long time since 2003 and was involved in preparing the draft. A seminar on the rights of the elderly was organized by FRE-B and NGO Federation on 13 October last which was participated, among others, by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed as the Chief Guest the Secretary Ministry of Social Welfare and National Professor Dr. M. R. Khan as the Special Guests. Presided over by the Chair of NGO Federation Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim, the seminar reiterated the rights of the elderly and urged for finalising the national policy for the elderly. The Secretary had given the assurance that it would be finalised soon.