1st October: International day of Older Persons

Every year 1st October is being observed as International day of Older Persons (IDOP).
Significance of Day: To raise awareness about issues affecting the elderly and to appreciate the contributions that older people make to society.
Theme for year 2015: ‘Sustainability and Age Inclusiveness in the Urban Environment‘.
On the occasion IDOP President Pranab Mukherjee will felicitate distinguished senior citizens with Vayoshrestha Samman. A walkathon was organized at the Rajpath in New Delhi where Senior Citizens and School Children participated to highlight the concept of promotion of inter-generational bonding.
There are nearly 15 million elderly Indians living all alone and close to three-fourths of this elderly population are women according to census 2011 data.
A joint report of United Nations Population Fund (UNFP) and Help Age International (HAI) noted that at present India has around 100 million elderly people and the number is expected to increase to 323 million by 2050 constituting 20 per cent of the total population.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2015