Care Economy and Elderly Welfare in India

India is undergoing a significant demographic transition: the United Nations projects that the country's elderly population, those aged 60 and above, will exceed 340 million by 2050. This shift has elevated the importance of the Care Economy, which encompasses all paid and unpaid services supporting the physical, emotional and social well-being of children, the elderly, persons with disabilities and the sick. Paid care work includes doctors, nurses, caregivers, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, domestic workers and home healthcare professionals, while unpaid care work covers family members caring for elderly parents, childcare, household chores and care for disabled relatives — labour that remains largely invisible in national income accounting despite its economic value.

The Care Economy matters for several interconnected reasons: India's ageing population demands greater healthcare and long-term care capacity; investment in care services generates employment, particularly for women; women currently perform a disproportionate share of unpaid care work, so expanding formal care services directly supports gender equality and workforce participation; and better care overall improves human capital through health, education and productivity gains. Senior citizens in India face compounding challenges, including chronic disease and dementia, economic insecurity from inadequate pensions, social isolation and elder abuse, a persistent digital divide, and stark rural-urban disparities in care infrastructure.

Government responses include the JEEVAN mobile app, which connects elderly users to welfare information and emergency assistance, and the SHATAYU dashboard, which manages a district-wise caregiver database and supports geriatric care institutions. These sit alongside longer-standing measures such as the National Policy on Older Persons, the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007, and the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana. The Care Economy also advances multiple Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 3, 5, 8, 10 and 16. For Mains, the way forward lies in expanding geriatric healthcare infrastructure, training professional caregivers, strengthening pension coverage, and integrating telemedicine and AI into elder care — positioning the Care Economy as a strategic pillar of inclusive development rather than a peripheral welfare concern.