PANAJI
A senior citizen lay bleeding in her own home in the early morning hours, and her throat was slashed during an attempted robbery, at a time when Goa’s flagship emergency helpline for the elderly – Elderline 14567 -- was defunct once again.
The attack on Cony Pacheco at her residence in Comba two days ago has cast a harsh light on the prolonged dysfunction of the helpline, which was launched in October 2024 but remained largely silent for months at a stretch. Pacheco survived with seven stitches to her neck.
The incident has raised questions about why the helpline, projected as a “lifeline,” has repeatedly gone offline.
Government sources told The Goan that Elderline has been shut since November 2025, allegedly crippled by unpaid salaries and operational dues. “The helpline was never consistent from the beginning, and this is its second prolonged shutdown,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity. “Payment issues eventually brought operations to a halt. There could be other issues as well, but clarity is needed from the concerned.”
The helpline was launched on October 1, 2024, coinciding with the International Day of Older Persons. Government had then assured the service would be fully operational within 45 days, offering assistance for cases of abuse, neglect, medical emergencies and abandonment.
The call centre, established through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Directorate of Social Welfare and Alankit Assignments Limited, shut down quietly weeks later and again late last year. Sources said a senior staff overseeing the centre resigned after not being paid for months and there were no additional staff to share the workload.
Electricity bills and other essential expenses also remained unpaid.
“Only a part payment was made recently,” the source said.
Now, with the agency struggling to keep the service afloat, the government is considering taking over the call centre directly. “The agency has been asked to clear all pending dues by the end of this month. If that does not happen, action will follow as per law,” the source further said. The Goan has mailed queries to Alankit, reply of which is awaited.
Despite its troubled existence, the helpline did see demand when it briefly resumed operations in May 2025. “From emotional counselling to guidance on legal and welfare issues, even limited staff ensured the phone remained a lifeline,” a source involved in the operations said.
The alleged structural flaws, however, plagued the service from the outset. Even before its first closure, calls were allegedly being diverted to a centralized facility in Delhi instead of being handled entirely within Goa.
Elderline is part of the National Helpline for Senior Citizens, an initiative of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Operational nationally from 8 am to 8 pm, it was conceived as a single-point support system providing information, emotional assistance, crisis intervention, rescue and reunion services for homeless or abused elderly persons. Under the MoU, Alankit was tasked with integrating police, welfare departments and other agencies to ensure swift, on-ground response.
For now, elderly citizens in distress have to rely on the Goa Police Senior Citizen Helpline at 1090, operating round the clock.
