GUWAHATI, May 12 - The Assam Senior Citizens� Association (ASCA) has decided to chalk out a time-bound action programme in order to persuade the governments both at the Centre and in the State to implement fully and effectively the objectives laid down in the National Principles for Elderly Persons of India as enunciated in 1997.
The national principles were chalked out of the framework of the five principles declared by the UN for the welfare of the elderly citizens of the world.
The meeting held under the presidentship of Dr Manoranjan Sarma also appealed to the 2.5 million elderly citizens of Assam to energize themselves to take up the task of creating a new moral, intellectual and social resurgence in the State.
The meeting began with the theme song of the association composed by Geeta Hatikakoti.
Prasanna Barthakur, organising secretary, while welcoming the members and the guests, paid tributes to the late founders of the association such as Justice Bholanath Sarma, Chief Justice Dambarudhar Pathak and Vice-Chancellor Kamaleswar Bora.
Inaugurating the meeting, DN Chakravartty, one of the founders of the association, stressed the need for strengthening the association in order to create a healthier social and moral climate in society.
He also mentioned the role of the elderly persons in guiding and inspiring the younger generations, especially the youths of colleges and universities, in order to direct their energy in the right path.
Dr Devdas Bharali, who presided over the inaugural session, said the ASCA had during the last two decades assumed the dimension of a revolution. He emphasised on a concerted and planned endeavour of the senior citizens for the betterment of the State and the nation.
The main meeting of the association held under the presidentship of Dr Sarma discussed the action programmes and decided to divide the State into six divisions.
Baneswar Khound, general secretary, in his report, referred to the endeavour of the association towards persuading the State government into implementing in its entirety the National Principles for Elderly Persons of India.
The association decided to hold its plenary session at Biswanath Chariali in 2021, while the mid-term session will be held at Goalpara in 2020. The second edition of the great compilation Loka Sanskriti will also be released at the plenary session.
