Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan to promote intergenerational bonding, mobilise youth for senior citizens’ welfare
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar will launch the ‘Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan’ – National Intergenerational Bonding Campaign in the national capital on Wednesday...
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar will launch the ‘Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan’ – National Intergenerational Bonding Campaign in the national capital on Wednesday under the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY), with an initiative to mobilise citizens aged 18 years and above as volunteers for the welfare, care and social inclusion of senior citizens.
The campaign aims to strengthen intergenerational solidarity by promoting meaningful and sustained engagement between senior citizens and younger generations, fostering mutual respect, understanding, companionship and shared responsibility.
A senior official in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said the campaign seeks to institutionalise intergenerational solidarity as a nationwide social movement, recognise senior citizens as contributors to society and encourage youth participation in promoting dignified ageing.
The campaign will encourage families, educational institutions, youth organisations, voluntary organisations and local institutions to create opportunities for meaningful interaction and collaboration between generations.
Addressing challenges of an ageing population
The Ministry official said the initiative seeks to create an enabling environment in which younger generations can learn from the life experiences, knowledge, skills and cultural heritage of senior citizens, while older persons can benefit from the energy, technological awareness and contemporary perspectives of youth.
The campaign recognises senior citizens not merely as beneficiaries of welfare programmes but also as active contributors, mentors and valuable repositories of knowledge, culture and social experience.
India is undergoing a significant demographic transition, with the population of senior citizens steadily increasing. The population aged 60 years and above is projected to grow from approximately 10 crore in 2011 to 23 crore by 2036, with its share in the total population rising from 8.4 per cent to 14.9 per cent.
Urbanisation, migration, changing family structures and evolving social patterns have, in many instances, reduced opportunities for regular interaction between generations.
These developments underline the need for a structured and sustained approach to addressing social isolation, strengthening community support systems and ensuring that senior citizens remain active, respected and meaningfully connected with society.
Campaign to follow 5C model
The Abhiyan is structured around an innovative ‘5C’ model – Connect, Converse, Co-create, Contribute and Continue, which provides a framework for building meaningful relationships between generations and sustaining them through regular community participation.
The five components focus on:
• Connect: Creating opportunities for senior citizens and younger generations to interact through community platforms, educational institutions and social initiatives.
• Converse: Encouraging dialogue, storytelling, exchange of experiences and mutual understanding between generations.
• Co-create: Facilitating joint activities, creative initiatives and collaborative projects by drawing on the complementary strengths of senior citizens and youth.
• Contribute: Enabling both generations to contribute their knowledge, skills, time and capabilities towards community welfare and social development.
• Continue: Ensuring that intergenerational engagement becomes a regular, sustained and community-led practice rather than remaining limited to one-time activities.
According to a press release by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, the campaign will be implemented across 12 thematic areas, offering opportunities for participation and collaboration.
These include ‘30 Minutes Together’, ‘Teach Me – I’ll Teach You’, ‘My Story, My India’, ‘Digital Dada-Dadi / Digital Saathi’, ‘Generation Health & Wellness’ and ‘Silver Skills – Seniors as Mentors’, among other activities.
Through these themes, the Abhiyan will promote companionship, oral history and cultural exchange, digital literacy, health awareness, wellness, skill-sharing and mentorship.
It will also encourage young people to assist senior citizens in navigating digital services and identifying potential cyber fraud, thereby strengthening their confidence and safety in an increasingly technology-driven environment.
Vayo SAATHI to mobilise citizens aged 18 and above
A key component of the launch will be the introduction of Vayo SAATHI – Support, Awareness, Assistance, Training, Health and Inclusion, a digitally enabled volunteer initiative to mobilise citizens and institutions in support of the welfare, dignity and social inclusion of senior citizens.
The initiative seeks to develop a nationwide network of volunteers who can contribute their time, skills and resources to support older persons at the grassroots level.
It is open to all citizens aged 18 years and above, including students, young professionals, community volunteers, civil society organisations and institutional partners.
Volunteers will be encouraged to serve as friends, facilitators, connectors and support persons for senior citizens, helping them access relevant information, welfare services, community activities, digital assistance and other forms of support.
Interested citizens can register as Vayo SAATHI volunteers through the Senior Citizens Welfare (SCW) SAMAVESH Portal or the JEEVAN App. Registered volunteers will also receive a Vayo SAATHI Certificate in recognition of their participation and contribution.
The initiative aims to transform volunteerism into a structured, accessible and scalable mechanism for community participation in senior citizens’ welfare.
Handbook, MoUs to be released and signed
Dr Virendra Kumar is also scheduled to release a Handbook on Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan during the launch programme.
The handbook will serve as a guiding document for the campaign, detailing its objectives, implementation framework, thematic activities and mechanisms for community participation.
It will also outline the roles and responsibilities of States, Districts and community institutions to facilitate coordinated implementation and wider outreach across the country. The document is intended to support the adoption of the campaign at different administrative and community levels and encourage active participation by educational institutions, youth groups, voluntary organisations and other stakeholders.
As part of the launch programme, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment will sign two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) and Adhyatma Vigyan Satsang Kendra (AVSK), Jodhpur.
The partnerships aim to promote the holistic wellbeing of senior citizens through meditation, yoga and other wellness-oriented programmes. They will also support intergenerational engagement through community-based activities and sensitisation initiatives, including pledge drives and walkathons, to encourage public awareness and collective responsibility towards the welfare of older persons.
The collaborations reflect the Ministry’s commitment to engaging civil society organisations and institutional partners in expanding the reach of senior citizens’ welfare initiatives and promoting healthy, active and dignified ageing.
Call for wider public participation
The Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan seeks to strengthen the social fabric through intergenerational solidarity and collective participation by bringing senior citizens and youth together on common platforms.
The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has invited citizens, educational institutions, universities, youth organisations, NGOs, resident welfare associations, community institutions and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partners to participate in the campaign and register as Vayo SAATHI volunteers.
Through sustained public participation, institutional partnerships and community-led initiatives, the Abhiyan aims to build a society in which senior citizens lead lives marked by dignity, respect, security, active participation and inclusion, while younger generations develop a deeper appreciation of their responsibilities towards older persons.
The campaign reinforces the principle that the welfare of senior citizens is not merely a governmental responsibility but a shared social commitment requiring the active participation of every generation.
The Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment aimed at promoting the welfare, care, protection and empowerment of senior citizens. Through its various interventions, the scheme seeks to facilitate an enabling environment for older persons to lead healthy, active, dignified and productive lives, with access to appropriate support services and opportunities for social participation.
-PIB Inputs
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