Govt sets up maintenance, appellate tribunals

Srinagar: In a significant development, the administration of & Kashmir government has set-up maintenance tribunals and appellate tribunals in the Union Territory.
In a notification, the government has constituted a maintenance tribunal for each sub-division/ with additional district magistrate/sub-district magistrate concerned as its presiding officer.
The notification states that ADM/ SDM shall be assisted by assisted by concerned deputy superintendent of police, concerned tehsildar and concerned tehsil social welfare officer.
These tribunals will decide on the monthly maintenance amount payable to senior citizens by children.
The government has also constituted an appellate tribunal for each district with district magistrate concerned as its presiding officer.
The DM will be assisted by additional district magistrate/ sub-divisional magistrate (other than the presiding officer of the maintenance tribunal whose order is in appeal), concerned additional superintendent of police and district social welfare officers.
These bodies have been set-up have under “The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act- 2007” and The Jammu & Kashmir Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Rules- 2021.
The law became applicable to Jammu & Kashmir from October 31, 2019- the day when Jammu & Kashmir was reorganized and downgraded into a Union Territory.
The law was enacted in 2007 to provide financial security, welfare and protection for senior citizens. It requires children to provide maintenance for their parents, and the government to provide old age homes and ensure medical care for senior citizens.