Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a two-day seminar on the `Ageing Brain', Gujral remarked that the present housing policy was income-oriented, while the need of the hour was to earmark space for each family after considering the number of family members. Interest-free loans to buy property could be made available to senior citizens, he further suggested.Going one step ahead, the former prime minister mooted total exemption from income tax for the aged. Again, tax concessions could be provided to those looking after elderly people, he said.

Enough attention was not paid to the concerns of the aged in India, Gujral lamented, adding that this was especially true in the case of town planning. While in places like Denmark, construction layouts were worked out by keeping in mind the needs of the aged, such a thing was unheard of here, theformer prime minister observed. The judiciary needed to pitch in with guidelines regarding concessions in housing and tax, he added.

Chief Justice of Bombay High Court M B Shah on the other hand deplored the deteriorating social culture in a country which had a tradition of revering the aged. In fact, the decline was so steep that now one had to talk about the rights of old people, while obligations were forgotten, he remarked.

The judiciary had stepped in as and when those responsible for the aged failed to perform their duties properly, he said, adding that laws alone however could not ensure that the aged were cared for. Justice K T Thomas of the Supreme Court observed that with the number of the aged expected to touch 71 million by the turn of the century, no government could afford to ignore such a sizeable population.