this is very important issue for Europeans but I would like to draw your attention that main thing governments across the subcontinent should do - is to avoid financial and subsequent economic crises. In any critical situations it's pensioners who bear the brunt, it's them who are always left out, it's on their pensions freezes (or even reductions if you count inflation in) that governments tend to use to cut budget deficits to satisfy monetarist wonks from IMF and WB.

We know this happened in Russia where the state under Yeltsin squeezed pensioners dry, reduced them to rags if they did not have jobs or close relatives who would care for them. It's only recently when Putin's popularity started to wane that he turned good samaritan and significantly increased pensions and benefits. these benefits were always there (like free airtickets for pensioners every two years) but in 1990s they could not use them, they needed money also for hotels, taxis, food, etc.

I believe that in modern state there should be sound and just safety net system to increase demand for goods. If such system is not in place (like in Africa, India or to big extent in China) or being eroded (under prescriptions from Washington) than the whole society suffers and may be locked forever in vicious poverty trap.