New Delhi, Sept. 15 -- When people think of estate planning, what comes to mind is the devolution of assets post demise, such as wills, nominations, trusts.

Almost none address a more common, far more frightening event: losing mental capacity while still alive. A stroke, dementia or a coma can strip a person of legal agency overnight, and unlike the US or the UK, India has no comprehensive law letting a person plan for this moment in advance.

The scale is not small. The Longitudinal Ageing Study in India, 2023, found about 8.8 million Indians aged 60 and above living with dementia, a prevalence of 7.4%. The UNFPA India Ageing Report 2023 counted 149 million Indians aged 60 and above in 2022, projected to reach 347 million by 2050. Each ...