Chandigarh, October 5 – The Punjab government’s ‘Sadde Buzurg Sadda Maan’ (Our Elders, Our Pride), initiative aimed at promoting the welfare, health, and dignity of senior citizens across the state is fully ensuring stability and support for our elders, Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said on Sunday.
Launched on International Senior Citizens Day (October 3, 2023), the programme is designed to address the social, economic, and health-related challenges faced by the elderly in Punjab.
Minister Dr. Baljit Kaur said the campaign “aims to restore the respect and care that our elders truly deserve, while ensuring their well-being and inclusion in society.”
Under the initiative, health camps are being organised at the district level across Punjab, offering geriatric care, eye and ENT examinations, free spectacles, essential medicines, and even eye surgeries for senior citizens. So far, camps have been conducted in districts 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.
Financial assistance is another key pillar of the scheme. Under the old-age pension programme, 2.2 million senior citizens currently receive ₹1,500 per month directly into their bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Dr. Kaur said that as of August 2025, ₹2,055.05 crore has been released under the scheme, benefitting 23.09 lakh senior citizens, and for the current financial year, a budget of ₹4,100 crore has been allocated.
To ensure accessibility and support, the government has also issued senior citizen cards and set up a toll-free helpline, 14567, to address grievances and provide assistance across the state.
Beyond health and financial support, officials say the scheme’s greatest impact has been on the self-respect and dignity of the elderly. “When an elderly person can see clearly again with free spectacles or access their medicines independently, it brings a different glow to their face. This glow is the biggest success of the scheme,” Dr. Kaur noted.
The programme reflects the Mann government’s broader commitment to social welfare and reviving traditional respect for elders in Punjab. Officials say initiatives like these not only improve the quality of life for senior citizens but also strengthen the social fabric, sending a message that “our elderly are our heritage and our pride, and serving them is a debt we must honour.”
