The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, will launch the ‘Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan’ – National Intergenerational Bonding Campaign under the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY), in National Capital here tomorrow.
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar, will formally launch the campaign, marking an important step towards strengthening intergenerational solidarity and promoting a society that values the experience, wisdom and contribution of senior citizens.
A Senior Official in the Ministry said the national campaign seeks to institutionalise meaningful and sustained engagement between senior citizens and younger generations, fostering mutual respect, understanding, companionship and shared responsibility.
He said the Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan is not merely a welfare campaign, but a nationwide social movement to institutionalise intergenerational solidarity, recognise senior citizens as contributors to society and mobilise youth participation in the cause of dignified ageing.
The Official added the Campaign envisages intergenerational bonding as a community-driven movement, encouraging families, educational institutions, youth organisations, voluntary organisations and local institutions to create opportunities for meaningful interaction and collaboration between generations.
The Ministry Official said the Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan seeks to respond to the emerging challenges by creating an enabling environment in which the younger generation can learn from the life experiences, knowledge, skills and cultural heritage of senior citizens, while older persons can benefit from the energy, technological awareness and contemporary perspectives of youth.
The initiative recognises senior citizens not merely as beneficiaries of welfare programmes but as active contributors, mentors and valuable repositories of knowledge, culture and social experience, he added.
The Official noted that India is undergoing a significant demographic transition, with the population of senior citizens steadily increasing adding the population aged 60 years and above is projected to grow from approximately 10 crore in 2011 to 23 crore by 2036, with its share in the total population rising from 8.4 per cent to 14.9 per cent.
Alongside this demographic shift, urbanisation, migration, changing family structures and evolving social patterns have, in many instances, reduced opportunities for regular interaction between generations, he said.
The Official said these developments underline the need for a structured and sustained approach to addressing social isolation, strengthening community support systems and ensuring that senior citizens remain active, respected and meaningfully connected with society.
He further said the Abhiyan is structured around an innovative ‘5C’ model – Connect, Converse, Co-create, Contribute and Continue, which provides a practical framework for building meaningful relationships between generations and sustaining them through regular community participation.
The five components seek to Connect by creating opportunities for senior citizens and younger generations to interact through community platforms, educational institutions and social initiatives, Converse to encourage dialogue, storytelling, exchange of experiences and mutual understanding between generations, Co-create to facilitate joint activities, creative initiatives and collaborative projects drawing upon the complementary strengths of senior citizens and youth, Contribute to enable both generations to contribute their knowledge, skills, time and capabilities towards community welfare and social development and Continue to ensure that intergenerational engagement evolves into a regular, sustained and community-led practice rather than remaining limited to one-time activities.
The Official informed that the Campaign will be implemented across twelve thematic areas, offering diverse opportunities for participation and collaboration. These include ‘30 Minutes Together’, ‘Teach Me – I'll Teach You’, ‘My Story, My India’, ‘Digital Dada-Dadi / Digital Saathi’, ‘Generation Health & Wellness’ and ‘Silver Skills – Seniors as Mentors’, among other activities.
He said through these themes, the Abhiyan will promote companionship, oral history and cultural exchange, digital literacy, health awareness, wellness, skill-sharing and mentorship.
It will also encourage young people to assist senior citizens in navigating digital services and identifying potential cyber fraud, thereby strengthening their confidence and safety in an increasingly technology-driven environment, he said.
The Official elaborated that a key component of the launch will be the introduction of Vayo SAATHI – Support, Awareness, Assistance, Training, Health and Inclusion, a digitally enabled volunteer initiative designed to mobilise citizens and institutions in support of the welfare, dignity and social inclusion of senior citizens.
He said the initiative seeks to develop a nationwide network of volunteers who can contribute their time, skills and resources to support older persons at the grassroots level. It is open to all citizens aged 18 years and above, including students, young professionals, community volunteers, civil society organisations and institutional partners, he further said.
Under the initiative, volunteers will be encouraged to serve as friends, facilitators, connectors and support persons for senior citizens, helping them access relevant information, welfare services, community activities, digital assistance and other forms of support, the Official said. He added that the framework will complement and strengthen existing institutional and community-based support systems.
The Ministry Official said the interested citizens can register as Vayo SAATHI volunteers through the Senior Citizens Welfare (SCW) SAMAVESH Portal or the JEEVAN App. Registered volunteers will also receive a Vayo SAATHI Certificate in recognition of their participation and contribution.
Through this initiative, the Ministry seeks to transform volunteerism into a structured, accessible and scalable mechanism for community participation in senior citizens' welfare, he added.
Union Minister is also scheduled to release a Handbook on Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan on the occasion. The Handbook will serve as a guiding document for the campaign, detailing its objectives, implementation framework, thematic activities and mechanisms for community participation.
It will also delineate the roles and responsibilities of States, Districts and community institutions, facilitating coordinated implementation and wider outreach across the country. The Handbook is intended to support the adoption of the campaign at different administrative and community levels and encourage active participation by educational institutions, youth groups, voluntary organisations and other stakeholders.
As part of the launch programme, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment will sign two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) and Adhyatma Vigyan Satsang Kendra (AVSK), Jodhpur.
These partnerships aim to promote the holistic wellbeing of senior citizens through meditation, yoga and other wellness-oriented programmes. They will also support intergenerational engagement through community-based activities and sensitisation initiatives, including pledge drives and walkathons, encouraging greater public awareness and collective responsibility towards the welfare of older persons.
These collaborations reflect the Ministry’s commitment to engaging civil society organisations and other institutional partners in expanding the reach of senior citizens' welfare initiatives and promoting healthy, active and dignified ageing.
The Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan represents a broader effort to strengthen the social fabric through intergenerational solidarity and collective participation. By bringing senior citizens and youth together on common platforms, the campaign seeks to promote a culture in which experience and innovation complement each other, traditional wisdom is valued, and older persons remain integral to community life.
The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment invites citizens, educational institutions, universities, youth organisations, NGOs, resident welfare associations, community institutions and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partners to actively participate in the campaign and register as Vayo SAATHI volunteers.
Through sustained public participation, institutional partnerships and community-led initiatives, the Abhiyan aspires to build a society in which senior citizens lead lives marked by dignity, respect, security, active participation and inclusion, while younger generations develop a deeper appreciation of their responsibilities towards older persons.
The campaign seeks to reinforce the principle that the welfare of senior citizens is not merely a governmental responsibility but a shared social commitment, requiring the active participation of every generation.
It is pertinent to mention that Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment aimed at promoting the welfare, care, protection and empowerment of senior citizens. Through its various interventions, the scheme seeks to facilitate an enabling environment for older persons to lead healthy, active, dignified and productive lives, with access to appropriate support services and opportunities for social participation.