Abandoned in death: NRIs face backlash in Rajya Sabha over neglect of elderly parents

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): A very humanitarian issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. It suggested that affidavits be taken from those traveling abroad, ensuring that young people will take care of their parents and maintain regular contact with them.

It was told in the Rajya Sabha that recently such cases have come to light where young people living abroad did not take care of the health of their elderly parents. Even when their parents living in India died, they did not come. BJP MP Radha Mohandas Agarwal raised this issue in the Rajya Sabha. Raising the issue of safety of the parents of children living abroad, he said that about 35 million people of the country live abroad and a large number of them have their parents in India. Many times parents sell their land and property, sacrificing their comforts and send their children abroad to study or work.

Radha Mohandas Aggarwal told the House that there have been numerous cases where children living abroad have not taken care of their parents. Citing incidents in Indore and Delhi, she said that some parents' children did not return even after their deaths, leaving them alone in their final days. Government laws, such as the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, are still not fully effective.

He suggested in the Rajya Sabha that affidavits be taken from people going abroad, ensuring they will take care of their parents, have health insurance, and maintain regular contact. The BJP MP also said that if such proof is not received every six months, the Indian government should have the right to revoke their passports and recall them.

Agarwal urged the House to take this issue seriously so that the country's senior citizens don't face loneliness and neglect. Those who migrate abroad often have their parents and in-laws living in India. He explained that these individuals who go abroad to study or work don't go solely on the basis of their own merit. Their parents sacrifice their own needs, their own comforts, and sometimes even sell their property to send them abroad. They have become so educated. This is often due to the affordable education and healthcare provided by the government. When they initially travel abroad, they worry about their parents. If they have children, they bring their parents or in-laws along, as caregivers there are very expensive.

BJP MP Radha Mohandas Agrawal said that as time passes, a person's attachment to their parents gradually diminishes. I will tell you about an incident from Indore. A few days ago, a man's father died, and 20 days later, his mother died. The bodies of both parents continued to rot and decay, but their children never returned. Similar incidents have occurred in Delhi. Statistics show that approximately 500 such incidents have occurred in the country, where people's children are abroad, but they did not come even in their final moments. Such elderly people lose all the joy of their lives, and they face a painful death in loneliness.

He said that the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act was almost toothless. Parents would receive benefits only if they appealed to the court. He said that he would request the Foreign Minister, through the Speaker, to require an affidavit from those who travel abroad, stating that they would contribute a certain portion of their income to their parents' care. Appoint a caretaker to care for parents. Make provision for parental health insurance, and ensure that parents speak to each other on the phone at least once a week.

He said that a provision should also be made that a certificate should be taken every 6 months, Certificate of Fulfilled Obligation and if people do not provide such obligation certificates then the Government of India should cancel the passports of such people and call them back to India.