The Ba Senior Citizens Day Care Centre recently marked its Silver Jubilee, drawing 160 attendees at Yalalevu, Ba.
While officiating at the event Independent Opposition MP Parveen Bala Kumar applauded the visionary efforts of the centre’s founders.
“If my memory serves me right and I stand to be corrected, the other steering committee member who were present on the launching of the centre 25 years ago,” he said.
“The best measure of a country is how it treats its older citizens. And by that measure the government has lot to do. I know some of the seniors who are here living in poverty.”
Mr Kumar appealed to the Ba community to engage more with the centre.
“It also falls on government to increase the grant and provide timely grants for the smooth running of the centre.”
Centre chairman Arun Sharma detailed the challenges hindering the centre’s expansion and daily functions.
“It’s a day care centre, we wanted to have it as a 24/7 but we could not because government is not helping to get a full-time nurse or somebody to look after the elderly people,” he said.
“We got that space but nobody there to look after and we can’t pay the wages to qualified people to come and look after.”
Mr Sharma said there were persistent issues with government grants, citing delays and inadequate funding.
“When we started, we faced a lot of hardships because government promises that they’re going to give the grant. So, when the time comes near, like March, April, or February, then they give us a grant.”
Mr Sharma said also highlighted the impractical grant disbursement schedule.
“Before 31st July, we should use the funds and after that, we must wait six to eight months to get the next grant.
“Government takes a lot of time. I don’t know whether the government takes a lot of time, or the ministry takes a lot of time.”
Mr Sharma said despite these hurdles, the centre had demonstrated self-reliance.
“We are doing it ourselves. We have built the chairs, we have built the tables, we have built kitchen where we can do the cooking for the seniors. We can provide lunch for them. We must get the donations from outside.
“The government is not doing anything and when we apply for the grant, it takes about eight to nine months to get the grant.
“The expenses have gone up, everything has gone up, but the grant, the figure that we are getting from the last 10 years is the same.”
