The Uttar Pradesh Social Welfare department has come up with an ‘Elder Line’ 14567 service to rescue the aged destitute and help them find shelter in old age homes.
The initiative is the brainchild of Minister of State for Social Welfare (Independent Charge) Asim Arun, who had earlier headed the emergency helpline 112 as an additional director general of police.
An MLA from Kannauj constituency, Asim Arun said the aim of the helpline was to shift the destitute elderly to old age homes and the hotline became active earlier in the week.
“If you find such destitute elderly persons on the road side, bus station, railway station or any similar place, who should be in an old age home, then you can share that information with Elder Line 14567. The department’s team will reach the spot and bring the elderly to an old age home with respect,” Arun said.
Pavan Kumar, Director of UP Social Welfare department, said that at present there were 75 old age homes in the state with one in each district. He said at present there were 6,053 inmates in these homes, both male and female, who were spending the twilight years of their life with dignity.
“The inmates are provided food, health facilities and entertainment facilities free of cost,” he said, adding that there were 118 inmates in Bareilly, the highest, and 32 inmates in Etah district.
Kumar said a doctor from the district hospital examined the inmates once in 15 days and an ambulance was also attached to every old age home for emergency needs.
“Recently, a group of 20 elders from Meerut old age home had gone to visit Akshardham temple in Delhi. A bus was arranged for them, and they returned from Delhi after having a picnic following the visit to the temple,” he said.
Arun said that the state government had revised the breakfast allowance from Rs 75 to Rs 114 per day for the elderly people living in old age homes.
In addition, the inmates get Rs 2,500 each once in a year for new clothes, Rs 200 per month for additional medicines, and Rs 150 for entertainment, he said.
“Since the start of the helpline this week, 55 elderly have been rescued from roadside, bus stations, railway stations and other similar places. Of these, eight are from Mirzapur, five from Kushinagar, and the rest are from other districts," the lawmaker said.
A veteran who managed 112 helpline, Arun said he does not shy from leveraging his old contacts in police to track the destitute and use their staff. He said at present, around 56 lakh senior citizens in the state were getting a monthly pension of Rs 1,000 under the Rashtriya Vridhavastha Pension directly in their accounts.
The Social Welfare department is going to link the over 6,000 elderly people living in old age homes to this scheme, so that they could get some extra pocket money, Arun said.