Policy Update
Tuba Athar
BACKGROUND
According to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in its report ‘India Aging Report 2023’ there are 14.9 crore persons aged 60 years and above in 2022 (as on 1 July), comprising around 10.5 percent of the country’s population which is estimated to increase to 15% (around 22.7 crore) by 2036 and by 2050 the figure can go up to 20.8% (34.7 crore).
Moreover, 24% of the elderly face restrictions on activities of daily living (ADL), highlighting the urgent need for quality elder care. The scenario calls for the need for care for our elderly population, for which trained professionals are needed. To cater to this, the PM-Special programme has been implemented. The programme comes under Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVAY), which is a central sector scheme that was implemented in April 2021.
For this, a National Action Plan for the preparation of sufficient trained manpower of geriatric caregivers named “Training of Geriatric Caregivers (GCs)” was approved in 2024.
The revised scheme was implemented by the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment (DoSJ&E) with the help of the National Institute of Social Defence (NISD). Broadly, the Department does the following:
a) Oversee the procedure for the empanelment of training institutions for providing training
b) Receipt of applications and their examination for recommending the institute for empanelment under the scheme
c) Concurrent monitoring
d) Coordination with other stakeholders such as the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), etc., for effective implementation and
e) Conduct periodical review and suggest changes to improve the scheme, and also suggest the inclusion of more courses in the scheme.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of the scheme is to bridge the gap in supply and increasing demand in the field of geriatric caregivers so as to provide more professional services to the senior citizens and also to create a cadre of professional caregivers in the field of geriatrics.
The programme will ensure sufficient availability of dedicated, professionally trained manpower of geriatric caregivers who can attend to diverse and dynamic needs of elderly population relating to recreation, holistic well-being through Naturopathy, alternative medical practices including Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy, physiotherapy, normal and emergent and crisis related medical conditions including Dementia, Paralysis, Prostate, Parkinson, Alzheimer, Depression, religious and spiritual handholding, overall management of patients and families dealing with terminal illness and death etc.
Under the scheme, the centre has planned to train 100,000 geriatric care-givers over the next three years, as part of the scheme, where it is envisaged that at least 10,000 people from SC, ST, and other marginalised communities will be trained free of cost. Moreover, the scheme also aims to provide employment to around 1 lakh (100,000) people.
Categorization of courses
Trainees are trained only in four courses, viz. Geriatric Caregiver (Institutional & Home Care), Elderly Caretaker (Non-Clinical), Elderly Care Companion, and Wellness Therapist for the Elderly.
Eligibility Criteria
The scheme is applicable to all citizens of India who fulfill the following conditions:
(i) Minimum age as specified in the respective job role, but must be less than 40 years of age;
(ii) Minimum education qualification as per the required job roles;
(iii) Should have a valid Aadhar card;
(iv) Should not indulge in any substance abuse;
(v) Should have documentary proof of age, education, and residence;
The eligible candidates are required to register on the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH). Profile verification is done through mobile-based OTP (e-KYC).
FUNCTIONING
A Project Appraisal Committee (PAC) is constituted under the Chairpersonship of the Joint Secretary (Sr.C)/Additional Secretary (Sr.C) in DoSJE for overseeing the regular functioning of the scheme. Any organization, legally established as a society, trust, proprietorship, Company/Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)/Government Institute/Organization, etc., can be a training provider under the scheme. Preference may be given to Government Institutions and those with permanent vocational infrastructure. A transparent selection process would be followed by PAC while selecting the Training Institutes for the delivery of skill training.
Implementation mechanism
The scheme runs through an end-to-end IT system that covers the entire ecosystem of the training programmes. Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) is a platform that will bring a whole-of-government approach to skilling. Quarterly progress report, geo-tagging, audit, etc., will be carried out.
On-the-job training (OJT) will be applicable in all such Job Roles as mandated by NCVET. The approved qualification pack shall guide the duration of OJT. The Training Provider will be paid 50% of the applicable base hour cost per candidate as determined under the PMKVY 4.0 scheme of MSDE for successfully organizing the OJT. Post placement verification of the trainees shall be done by the NISD. NISD shall also be responsible for concurrent and continuous monitoring and supervision of the training.
The fund disbursement to Training Institutes will be as per the Common Cost Norms as notified by MSDE, as amended from time to time. The DoSJE / NISD will directly monitor all training programmes. The mode of training shall be a 100% classroom-based approach where both theory and practical shall be conducted physically at the affiliated Training Centre.
PERFORMANCE AND IMPACT
R Subrahmanyam, secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Development, commented about the scheme that “Right now if anyone wants a geriatric caregiver at their home, they have to go through many channels. Sometimes they are not properly trained and also, they charge a lot. But we are bringing in a very systematic training programme which is approved by the health ministry. The training will be given by professionals” (Hindustan Times, June 6, 2022). The statement shows that the geriatric population, who are often neglected and who demand different kinds of caregivers that their counterparts can have access to trained professionals facilitated by the scheme.
According to the annual report 2024-25 of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in the financial year 2024-25, 45.82 crore have been spent as of 31 December 2024.
The same report also mentions the total sanctioned amount in rupees for a three-month certificate course on geriatric care to the states. About 44 million rupees have been spent and highest amount of money spent in Tamil Nadu (10.8 million), Karnataka (7.5 million), followed by Madhya Pradesh and Delhi (4.7 million each). However, there were many states like Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Odisha, Uttarakhand, etc., where no amount was spent till 31 December 2024.
Information provided by Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri B.L. Verma, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 18 March 2025, was that 32 institutes were empanelled under the Scheme in F.Y. 2023-24, which imparted training to 36,785 trainees. Among the 17 states listed, the largest number of trainers were trained in the states of Madhya Pradesh (12,450), Uttar Pradesh (9,750), and Maharashtra (3,200). While lowest number of trainees was in the states of Telangana (60), Delhi (100), and Andhra Pradesh (150).
CHALLENGES
Irregularities in funds and training provided: The data shows that the funds are not equally distributed among states. The states like Kerala, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand haven’t received any amount; however, they have a considerable geriatric population. Moreover, the number of trainers trained is also not regularly distributed, leaving the states that are in great need of geriatric caregivers.
No special provision for female trainers: Though the scheme has a quota for SC/ST trainers, but none for women. However, the India Aging report by UNFPA (2023) clearly mentions that women have higher life expectancy in all the states, and they are poorer, and old age poverty is ‘inherently gendered’, which shows that more women care workers are needed to cater female old age population. Moreover, geriatric care-giving could also be integrated into the existing social welfare scheme, which caters to widows and single women.
No non-governmental member in Project Appraisal Committee: The committee, which will oversee the regular functioning of the scheme, making recommendations to the Hon’ble Minister, SJE, for any policy or operational changes for improving the implementation of the scheme could also include members from NGOs who have good history of catering to the target population.
Skewed against digital illiteracy: All eligible candidates are required to register on Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), which excludes the population who have less access to digital devices.
For example, the ‘India Inequality Report 2022: Digital Divide’ by Oxfam states that approximately 70 percent of the population has poor or no connectivity to digital services. Among the poorest 20 percent of households, only 2.7 percent have access to a computer and 8.9 percent to internet facilities. Additionally, only 31 percent of the rural population uses the internet as compared to 67 percent of the urban population. Which means that the rural and poorest population would have access to the benefits of the scheme in comparison to their counterparts. Urging the need to have offline facilities to avail the benefits.
The scheme could work well if, according to the geriatric population distributed among the states, training could be provided and funds could be allocated. Moreover, there should be more female caregivers as caregiving is often an intimate act, for implementing the programme seamlessly, and offline procedures for enrollment should be available with assisted digital services for greater accessibility.
WAY FORWARD
The PM-SPECIAL Scheme is more than just a training initiative; it’s a commitment to the well-being of India’s elderly population. By empowering a new generation of professional geriatric caregivers, the government is taking a significant step towards ensuring that every senior citizen in India receives the care, respect, and attention they deserve in their golden years. However, to make the scheme really work and not merely exist on paper, we need effective implementation as well as monitoring.
India could also learn from other models of geriatric care, like Japan’s long-term care (LTC) system, where the system is financed through a mixed system, which includes taxation, LTCI, and user coinsurance. It covers those aged 65 and older, and people aged 40 to 64 with certain age-related diseases. Moreover, in recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on preventive care aimed at preventing frailty and delaying the onset of dependency.
The other model to learn is Sweden’s ‘Community-based Integrated Care System’ which provides health care, nursing care, prevention, housing, and livelihood support all within the local community.
References
- India Population: India aging rapidly, 60+ will make up 15% of population by 2036 says UN | India News – The Times of India , retrieved on June 13, 2025
- https://medicalbuyer.co.in/govt-plans-pm-special-scheme-for-medical-care-of-elderly/ , retrieved on June 13, 2025
- UNFPA India | India ageing, elderly to make up 20% of population by 2050: UNFPA report , retrieved on June 13, 2025
- Press Information Bureau. (March 18, 2025). PARLIAMENT QUESTION: PM-SPECIAL SCHEME. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2112161
- Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. (2025). Annual Report 2024-25. https://socialjustice.gov.in/writereaddata/UploadFile/86481744793621.pdf
- Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. (2024). PM-SPECIAL [TRAINING OF GERIATRIC CARE GIVERS]. https://socialjustice.gov.in/writereaddata/UploadFile/71551728966351.pdf
- https://goltc.org/system-profile/japan/#:~:text=The%20long-term%20care%20%28LTC%29%20system%20in%20Japan%2C%20which,municipalities%20under%20the%20guidance%20of%20the%20central%20government., retrieved on June 18, 2025
About the contributor- Tuba Athar is a research intern at IMPRI. She is pursuing a PhD from the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Acknowledgement- The author sincerely thanks Aasthaba Jadeja and other IMPRI fellows for their valuable contribution.
Disclaimer- All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
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