Punjab News: Punjab, this earth is not only of five rivers, it is a bottomless ocean of stories and experiences of thousands of elders. The high speed of modernity broke the families and divided them into a small ‘unit’. The houses grew up, but the corners of the heart became small and in these small corners, our elderly trees of our life were left standing. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s government recognized this invisible suffering and not a plan, but a love letter is written-‘Sade Buzurg Sada Mann’ (our elderly our mind). This is not just a slogan, it is a resolve to return the culture of Punjab, where the elderly were the foundation of the house, and fulfilling their needs, it was considered to be the ultimate religion of the family.
This initiative is not like an old pension for the elderly, but it is an attempt to return the old love and respect, which they are true. The scheme was launched on International Senior Civil Day (3 October 2023) and its goal is to provide necessary care and respect for the elders of the state. Minister Baljit Kaur announced that the purpose of this campaign was to promote the good of the elders in the state. Under this campaign, health camps will be organized for the elderly at the district level across the state. In these health camps, diseases to the age of the elderly will be treated. In these health camps, the elderly will also be distributed free glasses along with wide old age care, ent (ear nose throat) examination, eye tests. Apart from this, these camps will be provided with the necessary medicines for senior citizens as well as free eye surgery.
The Punjab government has also launched a pension scheme for the elderly residents of the state, from which 22 lakh senior citizens are taking benefits and who are currently receiving pension. The objective of this initiative is to ensure economic stability for such people in the society, who do not have any concrete source of income. Under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, ₹ 1,500 per month is deposited directly in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. Senior civilian cards have been issued by the Punjab government for the convenience of the elderly. Many districts of Punjab, including Faridkot, Moga, Ludhiana, Muktsar Sahib, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Bathinda, Mansa, Sangrur, Malerkotla, Batala, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Jalandhar, SAS Nagar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Patiala, Rupnagar and Fatehgarh Sahib.
Apart from this, Bhagwant Mann Sarkar has issued a toll-free helpline number ‘14567’ for the elderly by the Department of Social Security, Women and Child Development. On this, problems to senior citizens will be heard. According to officials, the state is dedicated to ensuring the good of the elderly population and promoting an auxiliary and health environment. This helpline is working as an important resource to address the complaints of the elderly in Punjab. Overall, ‘Saade elderly Sadda Mann’ reflects the Punjab government’s commitment to support its senior citizens.
Giving information, Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said that till August 2025, an amount of Rs 2055.05 crore has been released under the old age pension scheme. He informed that during this period 23.09 lakh senior citizens have got the benefit of this scheme. For the current financial year, a budget of Rs 4100 crore has been provided by the state government for old age pension. ‘Saade elderly Sada Maan’ is not limited to health and financial assistance only. Its biggest impact is on the self-esteem that was lost somewhere due to solitude and neglect. When an elderly free, wearing glasses and again sees the face of his grandson clearly, when he is not dependent on anyone to take his medicine, his face has a different glow. This glow is the biggest success of this scheme.
This plan is proof that the house in which the elderly are respected, that house is always happy, and the state where the elders have the value, the state touches new heights of progress. “This is not just a plan, it is our forehead vaccine, which reminds us that the honor of our elders is our biggest wealth.” This step of the government gives a message to the society that the elderly are our legacy, our pride. It is our debt to serve them. The land of Punjab never left the tradition of service, and ‘Saade elderly Sada Maan’ is giving new dimensions to the same tradition.
