How India Honours its Senior Citizens

Illustration by Copilot Designer

I renewed my medical insurance this morning. My government grabbed no less than INR 5,680 as GST [Goods and Services Tax]. Taxing a 65-year-old citizen for his medical insurance at the rate of 18% is nothing short of extortion. I have written about this earlier too. Nevertheless, especially since there is no chance of my growing younger, once again I wish to draw the attention of the $5-trillion-dollar economy of my country which has reportedly become a global superpower to my grouse.  

How does India treat its elderly citizens? On paper there are a few Yojanas (schemes). In effect they are only a schemer’s ploys to produce certain comforting illusions. In spite of the half a dozen ‘schemes’ on paper, there is absolutely no universal health insurance or subsidy for the middle-class and self-paying elderly. 18% GST is charged on everyone regardless of age or income.

Mine is a government that has allocated an annual budget of INR 1089 crore for propaganda. That massive amount is spent on foisting seductive fibs on us! The country spends gargantuan amounts on constructing temples, statues, and such things, but cannot afford to care for its ageing citizens. “Ram Lalla has a home now,” my Prime Minister said when the INR 3000 crore temple in Ayodhya was constructed. Ah, at least gods are taken care of.

India’s Prime Minister is a man who loves to travel and he has visited almost all the countries in the world by now, some like the USA many times over. I wish he learnt some things from these countries too. For instance, how do they take care of their elderly citizens?

Let us ask Chat GPT.

 

I don’t want charity from the government. But I do feel strongly that the government should stop being an extortionist at least in this one regard: taxing the senior citizens on medical insurance.