The Federal Parliament has passed the Senior Citizens Act Amendment Bill, making the care and upbringing of senior citizens a binding responsibility of the children. The bill passed by the National Assembly in 2075 Falgun was passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The message of the passed bill will now go to the National Assembly. If the amendment made by the House of Representatives is accepted, the bill will go through the process of approval and verification. If the upper house rejects the amendment, the bill will be submitted to the joint assembly.
The bill was passed on the proposal of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens Minister Uma Regmi. The passed bill has made the obligation of children towards senior citizens binding. If the children do not fulfill their obligations, the bill provides for the termination of the right to the ancestral property, the local level taking responsibility for care, or the transfer of property to the relative or the rightful owner. It has been arranged that the ownership of the property can also go under the local government in case the local level takes care of it. If the parents and relatives do not take care, the responsibility of protecting the senior citizen has been given to the local level. Children who have not received upbringing, care, education, and guardianship will not be forced by the local government to take care of their parents.
In the passed bill, it is clearly stated that the local level should arrange the care of the senior citizens who are not cared for by family members, relatives, or those who are entitled to care for them, or if there is no other person who is entitled to care for them or who is in isolation. If there is any property or part of the senior citizen who is not nurtured and cared for or is in a state of isolation, it is arranged that the local level will take ownership of it and mobilize it for the benefit of the senior citizen.
In the passed bill, in the details of family members, sons, daughters, daughters-in-law, and after sons' children, daughter's grandchildren have also been added. If the person who needs to be cared for does not fulfill his obligations, a complaint will be filed with the local judicial committee. The committee will decide on the procedure of hearing such complaints by the short method. In addition, the House of Representatives has also accepted the proposal to form a separate bench in consultation with the Judicial Council to hear the cases of senior citizens. Minister Regmi made the proposal in the House on Wednesday.
The passed bill stipulates that people receiving a regular salary, pension, and self-employed must deposit a certain amount as specified in the regulations to be made later, but if the income of the beneficiary is less than that of the parents, there is a provision that the amount does not have to be deposited. In this way, the person has to inform the local level about the amount collected annually. If the amount is not deposited, the parents have the right to file a complaint with the institution where the responsible person is employed.
The National Assembly passed the bill by providing that 10 percent of the income should be deposited. The House of Representatives removed that provision. The authority to arrange how much money to collect has been delegated. The said percentage will be determined by the regulations according to the delegated arrangement. Provisions have been made to prevent any kind of pressure and temptation from the purpose of usurping the property of senior citizens.
