The Andhra Pradesh Government has unveiled its plans to launch a National Scheme, 'Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojna, at a camp in Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh.

The scheme, mainly aims to provide assistive devices like hearing aids, and walking sticks to senior citizens, living below the poverty line.

Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot said, the project is estimated to cost around Rs 477 crore.

Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr. M Venkaiah Naidu will also be present at the event.

Related to the event, another camp will also be organized in Ujjain of Madhya Pradesh, on 26 March.

A senior official in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot said, the government has set a target of distributing assistive living devices among 2,000 identified beneficiaries at every camp.

“After these, camps will be organized in two districts in each state. We had written to all state governments in December last year to identify beneficiaries,” said Gehlot.

Gehlot said, the objective of the scheme, is to build an aged-friendly society by providing them with devices, to maintain near normalcy in morbidity.

These assistive living devices will be of high quality and comply with the standards laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

The equipment that will be distributed will include walkers, crutches, wheelchairs, tripods, spectacles, hearing aids and dentures among others.

The scheme aims to address disabilities like low vision, hearing impairment, loss of teeth and locomotor disability, in the senior citizens.

Under the terms of the scheme, an individual should be at least 60 years old to avail the facilities. Also, the beneficiary will have to be certified as a person living below the poverty line by the competent authority, Gehlot said.

According to the official, the government wanted to bring out the scheme in January, but they had to postpone it in view of the assembly elections in five states.

As per the Census of 2011, there are 10.38 crore senior citizens in the country, and 5.2% of them suffer from some sort of old age-related disability, said the official.

It is estimated, that, by 2026, the number of senior citizens will increase to around 17.3 crore.

Central Public sector unit Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India has discovered agencies for the supply of the equipment.

By Supraja