Gerontocractic Panic in India
Neglect of parents a criminal offence
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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indians who neglect their ageing parents face possible prison under a new law passed by worried politicians.
The law, passed late on Thursday, reflects concerns that rapid modernization and a growth in nuclear families is undermining a centuries-old social fabric of extended families.
"At least now the elderly can have a roof to live under and food to eat in their old age," Gyan Prakash Pilania, a Hindu nationalist MP, was quoted as saying in local news reports.
Under the law, Indians can face up to a month in jail if found guilty of parental neglect.
The law also allows authorities to order children or relatives to pay a monthly maintenance allowance to the aged.
(Reporting by Alistair Scrutton; Editing by Y.P. Rajesh and Alex Richardson)
