The social welfare department of the Delhi government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with HelpAge India, a leading non-profit organisation working for disadvantaged elderly people, to run the helpline.
It will provide information, guidance, emotional support and field intervention for elderly persons in distress. The project is a part of the Centre's pan-India initiative, and all preparations for the launch have been completed.
“A toll-free number 14567 has been procured, which will be common across all states. HelpAge India has recruited its team and has started training its team members. A dossier on schemes of various departments is also being compiled to offer assistance to people. This dossier will include details of the provisions for senior citizens in various schemes. We have done preparations from our side,” said Special Secretary (Social Welfare) Rashmi Singh.
According to government officials, the implementing agency (HelpAge India) in this initiative has already appointed one project manager, four-team leaders, eight call officers and five field response officers (FROs) to ensure the proper functioning of the helpline.
At the connect centre, 30 callers can be attended to at the same time, and it has been decided that an interactive voice recorder will not be used for the helpline.
A senior citizen from Dwarka Gayatri Singh said, “This is a great initiative for people like us who are really in need during this pandemic, I hope people could reach out to them and they will be provided help.”
CitySpidey also got connected with a senior citizen from Rohini, Kamal Kanth, he said, “Because of this lockdown, many of us have faced mental health issue also and I'm glad government are coming forward to help us.”
