Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted for the National Charter and National Policy on Senior Citizens of Sri Lanka in the year 2006.
It has been identified that the National Policy on Senior Citizens should be updated according to the changing world trends. Since the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations has predicted that the population of elderly persons of 60 years or more will increase up to 24.8% by the year 2052.
Therefore, the necessity for the promotion and protection of the welfare and rights of senior citizens has been identified.
Accordingly, the national policy on senior citizens in Sri Lanka was prepared to facilitate their ability to live in good social, economic, physical, and spiritual conditions in line with the theme of “Respectful Senior Citizen-Meaningful Retirement” under the government policy framework.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Rural Development, Social Protection, and Community Empowerment for the aforementioned national policy.
