Punjab govt to set up old age home in Mohali

Chandigarh, Jul 7 (PTI) The Punjab government will establish a state-of-the-art government-run old age home in Mohali's SAS Nagar to provide care, dignity and security to senior citizens, Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Baljit Kaur said on Tuesday. The minister said the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has allotted 2.92 acres of land in Sector 78 for the project. She said the facility, to be owned and managed by the state government, is aimed at providing a safe and dignified living environment for destitute and abandoned elderly people. Baljit Kaur said the initiative reflects the commitment of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to the welfare of senior citizens. "Our elderly are our invaluable asset and guiding force. Caring for them at this stage of life is the government's foremost responsibility," she said. The minister said the proposed senior citizens' home would provide residents with a sense of belonging, dignity and a family-like environment. She added that the government wants to ensure that no elderly person in Punjab has to suffer loneliness or helplessness in old age and that the new facility would serve as a strong support system for those in need. Baljit Kaur said the department has written to the Estate Officer (Plots), GMADA, seeking early completion of formalities for handing over physical possession of the allotted land to the District Social Security Officer, Mohali. She said construction work on the project will begin soon after the land is formally handed over. PTI VSD NB