First time, 24 senior citizens of Delhi with ‘Varishtha Samman Award’
No society can progress without honouring and recognising the efforts of its senior citizens: CM Arvind Kejriwal
No society can progress without honouring and recognising the efforts of its senior citizens: CM Arvind Kejriwal
First time, 24 senior citizens of Delhi with ‘Varishtha Samman Award’
No 
society can progress without honouring and recognising the efforts of its senior citizens: CM Arvind Kejriwal
society can progress without honouring and recognising the efforts of its senior citizens: CM Arvind Kejriwal
MPNN JOURNALIST
NEW DELHI – The Delhi government says the right thing, the society in which the elders are not respected, that society can never progress.” This is perhaps the first time by the Delhi government where the senior citizens of Delhi have been honored by the Delhi government. And this is the government of Delhi. Why not do it, take the blessings of the rich and wealthy elders along with the women’s vote and get their vote, even if the common poor elders do not have to travel in Delhi’s bus and metro with inconveniences, no problem, at least 24 The prayers of rich and wealthy elders will at least be of some use in the coming elections.
CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal felicitated senior citizens of the city as part of its inaugural Varishtha Samman Utsav on Tuesday. The CM felicitated 24 participants who were selected under five categories – Iconic Senior citizens, Elderly in Art and culture, Elderly in Sports, Elderly in Medicines, Freedom Fighters of Delhi. The Department of Social Welfare announced Varishtha Samman Utsav to felicitate the Senior Citizens in 2020-21 to celebrate 75 Years of Independence. Many applications were received from the Senior Citizens of Delhi and after multiple meetings, discussions and analysis, 24 applicants were selected for this esteemed award. The event was also attended by the Social Welfare Minister Shri Raaj Kumar Anand and Speaker of Delhi Vidhan Sabha Shri Raj Niwas Goel. During the event, a group of children dressed up in the costumes of elderly citizens and expressed their desire to present flowers to the Chief Minister. Shri Arvind Kejriwal then invited them onto the stage and accepted the flowers from the children and gave his blessings to them.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Arvind Kejriwal said that every senior citizen makes a valuable contribution to the society and this was just one such event organised to felicitate some of the people contributing to the society in Delhi. He congratulated all the elderly members who were awarded at the occasion and said that it is amazing that irrespective of their age, each person here has the passion to contribute for the well-being of the society. He elaborated that the senior citizens gathered at the event had contributed across various domains such as music, arts, public service and so on. He added that the Delhi Government had received 133 applications for the event and hoped that the following year every senior citizen of Delhi will apply for the Varishtha Samman Utsav. He also said that the Delhi Government is extremely happy at the success of this inaugural event and hoped that in the future, this event only gets bigger as the years roll on.
He said that since the newspaper today had written about this event, someone sent him a WhatsApp text in the morning and wrote something very beautiful. The text said, “It is correctly said that age is just a number. Dadi Prakashit Tomar-ji started to take part in Shooting at the age of 65 years. A resident of Delhi’s Najafgarh constituency, 84-year-old Bhagwani Devi-ji won a Gold medal in the Finland World Masters Athletics Championship. A 105-year-old resident of Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri Daadi Rambai completed a 100-metre sprint in 45 seconds and set a record. A couple from Jammu, 68-year-old Tarseem Lal Basotra and 62-year-old Sudesh Basotra climbed up till the Mount Everest Base Camp at a height of 5,364 metres and made the country proud. So, clearly we have enough anecdotes proving that age is just a number and it is all about being passionate in life and fulfilling our dreams.”
The CM further said that every individual has some passion in life and it is this passion that keeps them young. He elaborated that for someone this passion can be painting or public service or any other activity. Giving an example from the Hindu tradition, the CM said that after the birth of 84 lakh yonis, a human being is born. Therefore each human life is precious and we should not waste our lives. We have to spend our lives merrily and work for the betterment of society. In the Gita it is written that every moment of our life is a battle, and the moment we stop being in battle, our old age sets in. Even at the age of 30 years, if we stop our struggle then we become old. So, old age is not about crossing a certain age. If a person does not stop struggling at the age of even 100 years, then that person is not old.
The CM added that he was firmly of the belief that a household where the elderly citizens are not respected can never be successful. Similarly, a society or a nation that does not respect its elderly citizens can never be a successful one. The reason he believed that Delhi had been so successful in the last few years was because the senior citizens of the city had been very happy and had blessed the Delhi Government.
He further reiterated the welfare schemes of the Delhi Government that Minister for Social Welfare Shri Raj Kumar Anand had mentioned earlier in the event. The CM said that he had also got the opportunity to visit some of the Old-Age Homes that had been built in Delhi and added that they were in excellent condition. He said that it was unfortunate that some families are not able to live with the elderly citizens of their family for some reason or another, but said that for such citizens the Delhi Government had built these excellent old-age homes. The CM also said that usually when one thinks of an old-age home, they think of a space that is like a jail, but in Delhi that is certainly not the case. In the old-age homes here there are excellent facilities such as clean and comfortable rooms, library, sports room and a space for satsang. The CM reiterated that he hoped that the youngsters in the family can take care of the elderly, but in some cases if this is not possible, the Delhi Government has adequate facilities to take care of its senior citizens.
The CM concluded by speaking about the world-class ‘Healthcare Model’ of Delhi that is competing with the best healthcare models in the world. He added that there are just a handful of countries where the healthcare model is as good as the one that we have over here in Delhi. There are very few countries where healthcare is completely free. Even in the USA that is not the case. The Delhi healthcare model has surpassed that of even America. What even America has not been successful in providing, the Delhi Government has made it available to the people of Delhi. Usually in old age, healthcare is one of the main worries of an elderly citizen. A senior citizen is always worried about who will take care of him or her and their health expenses if they end up falling sick. This is a primary concern of lots of people and the Delhi Government is now there to take care of its elderly citizens. Therefore all the healthcare facilities have been made free of cost for all of the residents. “There is another desire that many elderly citizens have which is to go on a ‘teerth yatra’ in their old-age. There are only a handful of people who have such wealth that they can afford to go wherever they want. But for those who do not have such wealth, the Delhi Government has taken it upon itself to give such people an opportunity to go on a ‘teerth yatra’ as well. We have also started free yoga classes that will benefit our elderly population. In between for a few days, it had to be stopped due to certain reasons, but we will once again be starting free yoga classes for all residents of Delhi. My only humble request to all the senior citizens gathered over here today is that they should be mentally agile and not let their age affect their passions. As long as you have a passion, you will remain young at heart,” he said.
Social Welfare Minister Shri Raaj Kumar Anand said that we can neither conceive of a society nor build one by separating ourselves from our elders. Our history, traditions, and heritage will be lost if we are cut off from our elders. And if we are cut off from our history, heritage, and traditions, then we may build a society, but it will be of no use, he added. He further said that Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal considers every family of Delhi as his own and regards all of the elderly as his parents. Shri Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, is there to support the elderly if their family members are unable to take care of them. On a recent visit by Shri Arvind Kejriwal to a government-run old age home, an elderly man shared his story. The old man has two sons, who currently reside in America because he educated them and made them capable individuals. He claimed that his sons have everything, including a large house and car, but they have no desire to keep their father. “My sons may not have a place to keep their father, but Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has enough room in his heart to keep all the elderly like me. I am happy that the Kejriwal government is carrying out its duties honestly,” he said. The minister added that a person above the age of 60 years in Delhi receives a monthly pension of Rs 2,000, while an elderly person over 70 receives a pension of Rs 2,500. The ‘Varishtha Samman Utsav’ has been organised today to honour senior citizens who have made a lasting contribution to society and the nation in their particular fields. Its main goal is to underline how important our elders are to us. Our elders are our protectors and the source of our legacy. They require a lot of love, consideration, and respect, he added.
Assembly Speaker Shri Ram Niwas Goel said that the elders who have contributed in their respective fields have been honoured today. Only a minister in the Kejriwal administration could have this thought and no previous government has done anything like this. It has been over 70 years since independence and no other government has organised a ‘teerth yatra’ for the elderly citizens, like Shri Arvind Kejriwal. Many governments have come and gone over the last 70 years, but no government has ever considered that taking elders on pilgrimage can also be a medium of service. We are all lucky that Delhi’s residents have a thoughtful Chief Minister. The seniors who have been honoured have much to teach us all. Elders are like the shade of a tree for all of us.
The Delhi Government has been serving the underprivileged sections of society along with senior citizens by the means of various schemes, including by providing pensions to senior citizens and the specially-abled. The Social Welfare Department has launched the ‘Chief Minister Covid-19 Family Financial Assistance Scheme,’ under which the Social Welfare Department gives a monthly pension of Rs 2,500 to the families of those who died due to Covid-19. Out of the allocated budget of Rs 1,474 crore, Rs 985.29 crore was given to 4,29,443 beneficiaries in the financial year 2021-22 (up to November 2021) under the ‘Old Age Pension Scheme.’ Under the ‘Disabled Pension Scheme’, Rs 261.93 crores was distributed to 1,11,901 beneficiaries in 2021-22 (up to November 2021) out of the allocated budget of Rs 320.35 crore. Rs 25.51 crore has already been given to 12,813 beneficiaries out of the allocated budget of Rs 29.7 crore in 2021-22 (up to November 2021) under the ‘Delhi Family Benefit Scheme.’ Under the ‘Chief Minister’s COVID-19 Family Financial Assistance Scheme,’ Rs 6.75 crore has been given to 9,039 beneficiaries since its inception in 2021-22 (up to November 2021).
Apart from this, the Social Welfare Department has set up a help desk to address pension-related complaints, where complaints can be lodged through WhatsApp, text message, email or call. The beneficiaries can register their complaints at the help desk through the email ID helpdesk-sw@delhi.gov.in or by calling the contact number 9289550124 from 10 AM to 6 PM. The Delhi Government has also been running a helpline at the number 14567 for senior citizens called ‘ElderLine.’ Over 75,000 calls have been received on this helpline till date and many senior citizens have benefited from it.
The Social Welfare Department of the Delhi Government has also established four old age homes in Delhi in Bindapur, Wazirpur, Tahirpur and Kanti Nagar. There are 45 people living in the Bindapur old age home, 17 in Wazirpur old age home, 115 in Tahirpur old age home and 13 in Kanti Nagar old age home. Apart from this, 8 more old age homes are currently under construction at Chittaranjan Park, Rohini, Paschim Vihar, Geeta Colony, Chhatarpur, Janakpuri, Sarita Vihar, Vasant Kunj and Dera Mandi.
*The List Of Awardees Include:*
1. M. Lala is a ‘COVID Warrior’. He helped plumbers, electricians and others by training them and many children during the period of Covid-19 lockdown.
2. Jaikishan Agarwal is a blind philanthropist and works in an organ donation organisation in London.
3. Srinivas Sharma is an environmentalist. For 40 years, he has worked towards improving Scouting. He has been the ‘Gold Award’ winner in 2016.
4. Retired Group Captain S.C. Behri retired from the Indian Air Force. He has made significant contributions in the field of education and in helping the disabled. He has also been awarded the National Education Award.
5. Jeevan Ram Gupta has been a part of several committees formed for the assistance and convenience of the senior citizens of Delhi. He has helped the Delhi Government a lot by being a part of the policy-making process.
6. Gyan Chand Jain has made significant contributions in the field of IT and Computer Science. He has also been honoured with the Padma Shri Award. He is the founder member of many schools in North India.
*Senior Citizens Honoured in the field of Art and Culture include:*
7. Harish Srivastava specialises in oil painting. He has played an important role in Lalit Kala Akademi and Sahitya Kala Parishad. His art works and articles have been published in many books and magazines across the country.
8. Jalabala Vaidya is a theatre artist, who has performed on several national and international platforms. She is also a founding member of the Akshara theatre group. She has also received the Tagore Award from the Sangeet Natya Akademi.
9. Pandit Ras Bihari Dutta is a sitar player and music composer. He has given many presentations at the international level and also performed for All India Radio.
10. R S. Bisht is a sculptor. His work in Bal Bhavan of Delhi College of Arts has been greatly appreciated. He is famous for many prominent sculptures in India and abroad and has been honoured with many awards including the Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman.
11. Raghunath Singh’s work has been appreciated in the field of TV and media. His contribution in bringing new changes in the agriculture sector by connecting the people of the country through DD Kisan is commendable. He has been awarded the World Food Day Award by the FAO United Nations for his contribution in the field of agriculture.
12. VSK Sood is the founder of Sangam Kala Group. He has done incomparable work in the field of music and creative arts. He has made many efforts to promote new artists, has given them a platform. He has been honoured with the Lifetime Membership Award from the International Film and Television Club.
*Senior Citizens Honoured in the field of Medicine include:*
13. Dr. Anil Kumar Chaturvedi is a Physician and has served in the medical field for more than 53 years. He has also been awarded with Vayoshreshtha Samman Award 2016. He has been awarded by the Ministry of Science and Technology for his contribution in the field of Scientific Communication.
14. Dr. Shanti Talwar is a Pediatric Surgeon and has worked in the field of health improvement of children for four decades. She has also been awarded the Dr. BC Roy National Award and Indira Gandhi Woman Achiever Award.
15. Shamshul Ashfaq is a specialist in Unani Medicine. He has been appreciated internationally for his contribution to the traditional system of medicine. He has also been honoured with Dhanwantri Award and Ajmal Khan Memorial Award for treating people with Unani medicines.
16. Dr. Rajendra Nath Srivastava is a Pediatric and Nephrologist. He has served in Delhi AIIMS as a doctor and teacher for more than 30 years and has been honoured with the K-Menon Award from ICMR and the Dronacharya Award by the Association for Vascular Access.
17. Vinod Kumar has written several articles on helping senior citizens, health and ageing. The Indian College of Physicians has honoured him with the Master Teacher Award. He has worked in collaboration with WHO in the field of Old Age Care.
18. Dr. Chandra Prakash Verma is a doctor of ayurvedic medicine and is the president of Upkar Seva Sansthan. Many organisations including Central Arya Yuva Parishad, All India Nature Care Conference have appreciated his work for his contribution in the field of Ayurveda.
19. Vaidya Tarachand Sharma is a doctor of Ayurvedic medicine and has been awarded with Shikshak Samman Patra from All India Ayurveda Institute. The World Ayurveda Council has appreciated his work on the international stage.
20. Omkar Nath is also known as ‘Medicine Baba’. He has been single-handedly providing free medicines to poor people for more than 15 years. With the help of AIIMS and RML, they help those who cannot buy medicines. They go door-to-door collecting unused medicines to help the thousands of people who really need them. He has been awarded the Chikitsa Ratna Award.
*Senior Citizens Honoured in the field of Sports include:*
21. Harvinder Singh is a famous hockey player and coach and has been a two-time Gold medalist in the Olympic Games. He was the Chief Coach of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team in Tokyo Olympics 1964. He is also honoured with the Arjuna Award.
22. A.N. Sharma is a cricket coach and has been the coach of cricket players like Virender Sehwag and Pradeep Sangwan. He has been awarded by the School Games Federation of India.
23. Virendra Raj Mehta was awarded the Padma Shri Award in 2015 for helping Divyang citizens. His work in helping the victims of blasts in land mines is appreciated. He is currently admitted in the ICU. Therefore, he and his family also could not attend the felicitation ceremony.
*Freedom Fighters of Delhi who were honoured include:*
24. SN Kakkar has been a part of the freedom movement in 1942 and 1947 and has been honoured with the Sangram Medal and the 25th Independence Anniversary Award. He has also fought for the country in the India-Pakistan war of 1971.
