HelpAge India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Founded | 1978 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Mr. Jackson Cole, Samson Daniel |
| Type | 12A, 80G |
| Focus | Helping the Elderly |
| Location | |
Region served | India |
| Website | www |
HelpAge India is an Indian organization focused on the issues affecting older people and provides programs related to their welfare. Established in 1978,[1] it serves disadvantaged older people through programs supporting their well-being.[2][3]
HelpAge India began in the late 1960s when a Speaker of the Lok Sabha visited a counterpart in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, who was also honorary secretary of Help the Aged. He came back with plans to setup something similar in India.[citation needed]
In March 1974, when Jackson Cole, founder of HelpAge International visited India, Samson Daniel, a philanthropist, approached him for financial help to set up a member organization in Delhi. Cole instead offered training in fundraising. After a three-month training course in London, Daniel and his wife returned to India and organized a sponsored walk with schoolchildren in Delhi. In1975, HelpAge International recruited more staff to cover Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta.[citation needed]
HelpAge India is one of the founding members of HelpAge International,[4] having 97 member countries representing the cause of the elderly at the United Nations. It is closely associated with Help the Aged, UK[5] and has received a recognition from the United Nations for "Dedicated service in support of the United Nations Programme on Ageing".[6] HelpAge India is also a full member of the International Federation on Ageing.[7]
In April 1978, HelpAge India was registered in Delhi. Within three months it became autonomous as financial support ceased from the UK. Soon after, in July, the society was awarded Certificates of Exemption under Sections 12A and 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961.[8]
In 2020, HelpAge India received the UN Population Award for the care of elderly disadvantaged persons and senior citizens, a first for an NGO institution in India, in recognition of its work on population issues and efforts in the realization of rights of older persons in India since its inception.[9]
