Growing Old in India: Mapping Health and Social Welfare Policy Responses on Aging

India has witnessed a rapid demographic transition over the previous decades, leading to an increased projection in the number of older adults who have crossed 60 years of age. Estimates indicate that the proportion of older people fully and partially dependent on others has touched 52% and 18%, respectively, in 2023. Hence, it is quintessential to look into the policies and structures to identify the gaps and make necessary efforts to address those gaps. Against this background, this book chapter describes various policy interventions such as acts, schemes, national policies, and programs adopted in response to differential aging requirements. A comprehensive search was performed across four electronic databases to identify the policy responses adopted by India. The details of country-wise interventions are collected through the official websites of respective countries. The analysis concludes that existing interventions are spread across the various dimensions of aged care, including social security, health accessibility, old-age maintenance, and welfare. The notable limitations of the given policy interventions are ambiguity regarding the monitoring of the programs, inadequate attention to rural poverty, and lack of decentralization in program implementation. Through public-private partnerships, India can respond better to the growing elder care demands through focused interventions on universal health coverage, caregiver allowance, social security support, and age-friendly infrastructure development.