The Indian government after many years of debate finally declared the National Policy of the Older Persons in January 1999, the International Year of the Older Persons. The policy highlights the rising elderly population and an urgent need to understand and deal with the medical, psychological and socio-economic problems faced by the elderly. However what the policy did emphasize was on the dominant role the non governmental organizations should play to assist the government in bringing forth a society where the needs and the priorities of the elderly are taken into account. It recognized the Older Persons as a Resource of the Country.