Data from the recently published National Family Health Survey 6 (NFHS 6) shows that India is moving away from being a young country. The notion of demographic dividend probably does not hold for India anymore. The percentage of the population aged 60 and above has increased from 11.8 in 2019-21 (NFHS-5) to 12.9 in 2023-24 (NFHS-6). While Kerala typically dominates the conversation on ageing because of its high proportion of the elderly, West Bengal has quietly recorded the highest surge as its elderly population jumped from 10.9 to 14.1 per cent.

The percentage of elderly population in West Bengal was 7 per cent in 2005-06 and 8.7 per cent in 2015-16. An underexplored and under-reported aspect of Bengal is its advanced stage of demographic transition. This can be a major problem whereby the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of West Bengal has remained constant at 1.6, whereas generally a TFR of 2.1 is considered a replacement rate for a stable population. If this demographic transition is not at the centre of policy discussions in West Bengal, a crisis can quietly creep up and impact the quality of lives of the residents of the state. A major reason driving the increase in elderly population is the outmigration of the working age population from West Bengal, leaving behind senior citizens.

The Government of West Bengal has often tried to address the problem through welfare schemes which give Rs. 1,000 to citizens above the age of 60. However, the amount is much lower than is required for even basic subsistence,........

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