Following the appeal of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take extra care of the senior citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ranchi district administration is all geared to begin the ‘Surakshit Dada- Dadi, Nana- Nani’ campaign from today.
Initiated by Niti Aayog in collaboration with Piramal Foundation, the campaign will be carried out across all aspirational districts in the country. It will primarily work on three aspects prevention, accessibility and early detection in case of coronavirus symptoms. In Jharkhand, the programme will be done in 17 districts including the State capital.
City based NGO named Pahal has been appointed as the Mother NGO which in association with 20 volunteers from Xavier Institute of Social Sciences (XISS) will be responsible for executing the campaign in the district. As per 2011 census, the district has approximately 2.04 lakh senior citizens who will be benefiting from this drive.
“As a part of the campaign five helpline numbers will be used by the volunteers to call those who are most vulnerable during this crisis- our senior citizens who as a part of this outreach programme will be contacted to ensure about their well being while their grievances if any will also be registered and addressed at the earliest. The admin had also started a similar helpline number during the lockdown which was a huge success and I am sure that our elderly will come out of this safe and sound,” said the Deputy Commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray.
A training session was conducted by Piramal Foundation for the callers at XISS on Wednesday. As a part of the calling process, the volunteers when talking to the aged will inquire about their health and well being, tell them about the preventive measures and also inquire if they need any essential commodities like groceries or medicines.
“During this campaign, the citizens will also be made aware about the various government schemes while grievances from any concerned departments will also be registered. As per the directives of the Ranchi Deputy Commissioner, a permanent help desk is also being set up at XISS with a toll free number where the elderly can call regarding any problems related to health, pension, police or any other issue. This facility is likely to be functional in a week,” said Shatrunjay Kumar, Additional Director Social Security (ADSS) who has also been appointed as the nodal officer for SDDNN.
