AGARTALA, October 15 (TIWN): A programme was organized to celebrate the International Day of Older Persons-2014 at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhawan here today. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar inaugurated the programme.

Delivering the speech,  Chief Manik Sarkar said that, on this day, we not only celebrate the effort of our elders to build a better society for all of us, but also commit to fight for pension and decent health care so  older persons can retire with dignity. It's vital to remember that older persons are the most vulnerable in society and are among the first to fall victim to the effects of a downturn in the economy and to the negative impact of increasing globalization, he added.

Living up to the guiding principle of "Leaving No-One Behind" necessitates the understanding that demography matters for sustainable development and that population dynamics will shape the key developmental challenges that the world is confronting in the 21st century, CM added. The day is also celebrated by raising awareness about issues affecting the elderly, such as senescence and elder abuse. It is also a day to appreciate the contributions that older people make to society.

The day is celebrated every year to make certain the welfare of elder persons as well as to enroll their significant involvement in the society to get promoted from their knowledge and ability. The Plan of Action on Ageing was adopted by the World Assembly on ageing to encourage the society development for all ages. The day is celebrated worldwide to examine issues, promote public awareness and focus on which type of behavior can help older men and women throughout their life, Manik further said.

International Day for Older Persons is specially celebrated for the senior citizens all across the world to focus on the responsibilities towards their lives through the demonstration of promotional material in schools, institutions, offices and public notice boards. People are getting encouraged about their responsibilities towards the lives of elder people to make their life better and happy by analyzing all the problems affecting the life of older people, he mentioned.

Minister for Science, Technology and Environment Bijita Nath, Chief Secretary G.K. Rao, Secretary of SW and SE department M. Nagaraju, Mayor of Agartala Municipal Corporation Dr. Prafullajit Sinha and other officials were present in the programme.