Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday described the senior citizens as valuable assets of the society. In his message on the occasion of International Day for Older Persons, the Chief Minister said that older persons have experience and solutions while we have to learn more from them.
He called upon people to take care of the peaceful and dignified life of older persons. The blessings of senior citizens are precious to us, said Patnaik.
The Chief Minister highlighted the various welfare schemes for older persons and said that the state government has added an additional 4 lakh beneficiaries in the Madhubabu Pension Yojana. Facilities such as old age homes, geriatric wards, and physiotherapy centers in hospitals in different hospitals have been made available for senior citizens. He called upon everyone to work collectively for the betterment and good health of older persons.
Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister, SSEPD, who was the Guest of Honour on the occasion, described older persons as the guardians of society while highlighting the commitment of the state government to social security, health services, and quality of life of senior citizens. He also focused on various schemes and programmes of the department.
Anu Garg, Development Commissioner, and Soumendra Priyadarshi, Twin City Police Commissioner, also spoke on the occasion. Sushil Kumar Lohani, Principal Secretary, SSEPD Department, chaired the programme while Bratati Harichandan, Director of the department, presented the activity report, and Dilip Roy, Special Secretary, welcomed the guests. Capital Hospital, UNFPA, and Site Savers India organised a health checkup camp, eye camp, and awareness campaign on the occasion.
