Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Monday said that the increasing tendency of abandoning mentally challenged family members or elderly persons is a social degeneration that should be combated unitedly as a society.
“The state government is working hard to ensure that each section of the society gets an equal share of the government benefits. But, if society does not come forward and extend help to the needy, the government can’t alone make any difference,” the CM said.
According to Dr Saha, there is a growing tendency in urban society to opt for the nuclear family concept. “Today, people are being abandoned by well-to-do families just because they are not mentally sound enough. This is not right. We keep hearing a lot of things related to such incidents. This is nothing but a social disease,” he added.
The CM was speaking at the inaugural session of two new halfway homes in the Narsingarh area for persons with disabilities who had been abandoned by their family members. He also launched a helpline number for elderly people.
“The elderly persons of our families are also physically weak. They need proper care. The helpline number will help them get instant response in emergency situations,” the CM said.
Dr Saha also said that the social welfare and education department of the state was coming up with a special scheme for street children.
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