Wrist tags sought for senior citizens too

Child-tracking wrist tags figure in the long list of Pushkarams’ preparations by the officials of various departments.

Volunteers roped in for Pushkaram services will reach out to small children at the bathing ghats and offer these tags to be tied around their wrists for easy tracking if the young ones get lost in the crowd. The volunteers will write the phone numbers of the officers on duty in that particular ghat and parents of the child on the tag. This will enable anyone finding the lost child to inform them.

The officials intend to distribute 10 lakh tags. “We want similar tags to be distributed to senior citizens as well. There are many old couples who are eager for a holy dip in the River during this auspicious period. Many of them are physically frail but are determined not to let go of this once-in-12 years opportunity. Keeping their limitations in mind, distribution of these tags can be of great help,” said Mothukuri Venkateswara Rao, general secretary of Krishna District Senior Citizens’ Association.

“We have organised a couple of meetings explaining to the senior citizens about the dos and don’ts they need to strictly adhere to as long as they are in the ghats. But since they are the vulnerable lot, officials engaged in Pushkaram duties must take proper care of them,” he says.

In last year’s Godavari Pushkarams, disturbing reports of senior citizens deciding against visiting the ghats for fear of being abandoned in the crowd by their children had surfaced causing serious concern. “I heard about such concerns being raised during Godavari Pushkarams. This time I hope nothing of that kind happens,” says Mrinal Srikanth, Liaison Manager, Andhra Pradesh, for Helpage India, a national-level voluntary organisation working for the cause of disadvantaged older persons to improve their quality of life.

“Keeping such vulnerabilities in mind, we have developed a mobile app, exclusively for senior citizens, which can be operated from any smart phone. With the help of some person around them, they can immediately get in touch with our emergency helpline number and we’ll coordinate with the local partner NGOs or the police,” says Mr. Srikanth.

Mr. Venkateswara Rao, meanwhile, informed that an all-India conference of senior citizens is slated for November, which will focus on the modalities of making the 2007 Act an effective tool to ensure justice to the elderly.