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Chairman
Sri Sailen Sarkar
Hon'ble Ministers-In-Charge
Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Environment
Government of West Bengal
Speech of Shri Sailen Sarkar, Hon'ble Minister-in-Charge, Department of Parliamentary Affairs & Environment, Government of West Bengal in the two day State Level Second Conference on “Geriatrics and Interdisciplinary Gerontological studies in West Bengal” on the 13 th and 14 th of July, 2007 at the Netaji Nagar Day College
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
It is indeed my pride and privilege to be present here at the Netaji Nagar Day College and participate in the Conference on “Geriatrics and Interdisciplinary Gerontological studies in West Bengal .” I am extremely happy to learn that Dr. Dilip Kumar Chakrabarty is working elaborately on the problems of the elderly people. It is indeed a pioneering work, in the field of Geriatrics and Interdisciplinary Gerontological studies in West Bengal .”
You all know that ‘Geriatrics' is a branch of study dealing with the problems and diseases of old age and ageing people. Humans now have an increased life span compared to previous years. With the advancement of science and medicine, previously fatal diseases are now curable. Due to this, people live for a longer time, during old age. However, old age has some typical inherent problems. With man's retirement from active work habits, his mental faculty gets idle and physical activities also reduce considerably. Apart from this, his position in society undergoes considerable change – he becomes Grandfather or Great Grandfather. As our society revolves around youth, his position in society becomes insignificant. He has to cope up with his changed identity. There are, however, exceptions where Old Age has not got the better of man and he is competing strongly with youth.
We see that 4.66% of the total population of West Bengal is over 65 years old; this is an increase of 0.5% from the 1991 census. Although many ‘Old Age Homes' have developed, there is a conscious need to make the society more responsive towards Old Age. We must make good use of the experience and wisdom of this excellent human resource in order to progress and sustain our growth and development. The aged are also like small children. They also need your constant inspiration and guidance.
I am sure that two day State Level Second Conference on “Geriatrics and Interdisciplinary Gerontological Studies in West Bengal ”, will find a solution to these problems through survey and Mathematical modeling.
I am thankful to Dr. Dilip Kumar Chakrabarty, Convenor, Organising Committee, Teacher-in-Charge, Netaji Nagar Day College and his excellent team for organizing this conference. I am extremely hopeful that the valued opinion of the distinguished speakers in the Conference will open up new avenues for addressing problems related to Old age. Thank you all.
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