2013 · GS Paper 1 · Q17 · 10 marks
Critically examine the effect of globalization on the aged population in India.
In short
Globalisation has lengthened the lives of India's elderly and offered pensions, remittances and digital services, but youth migration, nuclear families and informal work have left many isolated and insecure. The India Ageing Report 2023 found over 40% of the elderly in the poorest wealth quintile.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 270 words
Longer lives
Global medical technology, generic drugs and hospital networks have helped raise life expectancy to about 70 years (SRS 2016-20).
Financial and digital tools
The National Pension System (2004), reverse mortgage loans (2007) and Jeevan Pramaan (2014) digital life certificates give income and services beyond the family.
Remittances
Children working in the Gulf, the US or Indian metros send money home and stay in touch through cheap telephony and video calls, while elder-care start-ups build a silver economy.
Left-behind parents
Youth migration has emptied homes, most visibly in Kerala, and nuclearisation weakened filial care, prompting the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007.
Economic exclusion
Informal workers retire without pensions, and over 40% of the elderly fall in the poorest wealth quintile (India Ageing Report 2023).
Costly care
Privatised health care raises out-of-pocket spending, the digital divide shuts many out of app-based services, and widowed elderly women bear the sharpest burden.
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2013 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.