NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indians who neglect their ageing parents
face possible prison under a new law passed by worried
politicians.
The law, passed late on Thursday, reflects concerns that rapid
modernization and a growth in nuclear families is undermining a
centuries-old social fabric of extended families.
"At least now the elderly can have a roof to live under and food to
eat in their old age," Gyan Prakash Pilania, a Hindu nationalist
MP, was quoted as saying in local news reports.
Under the law, Indians can face up to a month in jail if found
guilty of parental neglect.
The law also allows authorities to order children or relatives to
pay a monthly maintenance allowance to the aged.
(Reporting by Alistair Scrutton; Editing by Y.P. Rajesh and Alex
Richardson)
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