India makes neglect of parents a criminal offence

Indians who neglect their ageing parents face possible prison under a new law passed by worried politicians.

The law reflects concerns that rapid modernisation 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.

Source:Stuff.co.nz