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‘Elderline’ to be Launched in Ranchi Soon

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Ranchi, India, Sept, 2021 -- Ranchi district administration will soon launch a dedicated helpline number for senior citizens under the Centre’s Elderline project aimed at helping the elderly people in distress, officials said.

Through this toll-free helpline number, 14567, elderlies in distress would be able to seek help from the Government in legal matters, get assistance during natural disasters and also submit requests for facilities under Government-run welfare schemes, a Press communique from the district administration stated.

The helpline number in Ranchi will be run jointly by the district administration, Samarth Life Management Private Limited, an NGO based out of Gurugram and a Ranchi-based company, Baba Computers. Elderlies in need of help will have to dial 14567 and executives of a dedicated call centre will guide them further.

"The idea is to ensure that elderly people in distress do not feel helpless during any crisis. They can dial the helpline number and get support," said Deputy Commissioner Chhavi Ranjan.

Even during the first and the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, elderly people staying alone faced a lot of challenges in getting groceries, edibles and even medicines as they were among the high-risk population. While the Jharkhand government did come up with a home delivery facility for groceries and other essential items during the pandemic, there was no dedicated helpline number for senior citizens.

In order to address the problems of elders in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Social Justice started call centres in some states under the Elderline project a year ago. The facility is already operational in five States – Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

In Jharkhand, such call centres will come up in all the 24 districts and Ranchi will be the first to launch the helpline number, government sources said. This helpline will also offer emotional support to the callers during and after the pandemic. Senior citizens facing pension related problems may also get help by contacting this number.

District officials and other stakeholders involved in this initiative have already started undergoing training for the programme. Ranchi DC recently chaired a meeting via video conferencing with other district officials and reviewed the status of Elderline initiative in Ranchi.

An official actively involved in the initiative said that elderly people staying alone were not only more likely to face problems in getting legal aid or help during a crisis, but also susceptible to frauds. "There are so many elderly people living in this city who do not have anyone to support them during any crisis. This helpline will make them feel empowered and supported," he said.

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Posted by Veronica Silva Cusi, news correspondent
Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com

Date Posted: Monday, September 27, 2021



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