AWARENESS AND UTILISATION OF WELFARE SCHEMES AMONG ELDERLYWOMEN IN INDIA : A LITERATURE REVIEW

As per United Nations, the phenomena of population ageing has emerged as a massive demographic transformation across the world. Developing countries like India too are not averse to this. Major strides in healthcare, declining rates of fertility, and increasing life expectancy have caused a steady uptick in the elderly population. In this demographic shift, old women constitute one of the most vulnerable groups due to gender discrimination, social and economic inequalities, and cumulative disadvantages experienced across their life course. Elderly women often face acute challenges like financial insecurity due to patriarchal dependence, widowhood, limited social support, and restricted access to healthcare services (Rajan, 2010). Numerous studies have recognized these challenges. Government of India has thus introduced several welfare schemes aimed at providing social protection, healthcare services, and financial assistance to senior citizens. This paper presents a literature review by examining awareness and utilisation of government welfare schemes among elderly women in India. Findings have been examined from academic research, government reports, and policy analyses to point out key determinants affecting awareness and utilisation of welfare schemes. The review highlights various structural barriers like low literacy levels, various socio-cultural restrictions, many bureaucratic complexities, and digital illiteracy cum exclusion prevent elderly women from making use of existing welfare programs. It is found that major gap exists between policy formulation and on ground utilisation. The paper concludes by suggesting that strengthening community-level awareness programs, simplification of administrative procedures, and adopting gender-sensitive policy frameworks are necessary for improving social protection for elderly women in India.