Less than two years since it was rolled out, Elder Line, a national helpline for the elderly (14567), is a shadow of its former self in Kerala.
Run by the Social Justice department in the State, the helpline is functioning with less than one-thirds of its initial staff strength for the past two months. The existing staff and those who had been asked to keep away have not been paid since April.
It was through a communication from the National Institute of Social Defence to the heads of Elder Line-implementing organisations on June 30 that the staff got to know that the helpline services would be maintained with minimal staff with effect from July 1 till the completion of agreement renewal for the 2023-25 period or September 30 to which date the agreement has been temporarily extended.
As a result, only the helpline call centre called Connect Centre is functioning at present with five call officers, down from the original 10. Besides these five, there is a Connect Centre team leader, and a security person. Other 15 staff members, including administrative officer, programme manager, and four team leaders, have been told to stay away for the time being. However, neither them nor the staff currently manning the helpline have been paid since April. “We have not been allowed even the Onam festival allowance,” say the employees.
Lack of funds from the Union government is plaguing the helpline. Employees say funds to the tune of ₹33 lakh for the past financial year are pending. This year, no funds have been sanctioned.
This is not the first time that the salaries of the Elder Line staff have been delayed. A former staff member says most of the original team members quit as salaries were rarely paid on time. Staff hailing from other districts working in the State capital have to pay rent or risk getting booted out. Field staff pay for expenses from their pocket, and none of it has been reimbursed.
In the absence of seven field response officers who handle two districts each, there is no one to visit the elderly at home or make direct interventions such as their rehabilitation. In the State capital, the five Connect Centre call officers and a team leader are not in a position to attend all calls, say the employees.
Though 15 staff members have been asked to stay away, they still report for work when required. “We have stayed till now owing to our commitment to Elder Line. It is not just work, but a service for us,” says an employee.
Among the States and the Union Territories, only in Kerala, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh is the Elder Line run by the government. In Telangana and Chhattisgarh, it is implemented through non-governmental organisations, leaving Kerala the only State where the helpline is implemented directly through the government’s Social Justice department.
Instead of a positive, this has turned out to be a disadvantage as far as the staff members here are concerned. “There has been no favourable intervention from the State government. In other States, Elder Line is functioning with full staff and they are receiving salary as the implementing agencies have been able to arrange for the funds. Here, the Social Justice department seems to have washed its hands of us,” says a staff member.
