Elderline
Also called: 14567, National Helpline for Senior Citizens · Topic: Safeguards for Vulnerable Sections: SCs, STs, OBCs, Minorities, Women and Children · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Elderline is the national toll-free helpline for senior citizens. Its number is 14567. It is run by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and is open from 8 am to 8 pm, all seven days of the week. Older people can call it for information and guidance, and they can report abuse. In abuse cases, its staff do not just give advice on the phone. They also go out to help in person, which is called field intervention. Elderline is one way the state acts on Article 41, a Directive Principle (a duty the Constitution gives the State, though courts cannot enforce it) that asks for public help in old age. It also helps older people use their rights under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007.
Example
Say a 72-year-old widow's son stops looking after her and takes over her house. She calls 14567. The helpline staff explain her rights, and a field team visits her. They can help her apply to a Maintenance Tribunal under the 2007 Act. The Tribunal can order her son to pay her up to ₹10,000 a month. It can also cancel a property transfer if the person who received the property does not care for her.
Don't confuse with
- Maintenance Tribunal: this is the legal body under the 2007 Act that actually orders maintenance and must decide within 90 days. Elderline only guides and refers people. It cannot pass orders.
- Vayo SAATHI: this is a volunteer scheme of the Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan (2026), in which citizens aged 18+ spend time with older people. Elderline is a helpline with its own staff, not a volunteer programme.
Recent developments
- 1 October 2021: Elderline 14567 was launched as the national helpline for older people. Besides information and guidance, it also gives emotional support, meaning a caring voice for lonely or distressed seniors. The launch date is a likely Prelims fact.
- November 2026: MoSJE launched the Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan under the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY). Registration for its Vayo SAATHI volunteers opened on 10 November 2026. These volunteers will help seniors with health, welfare, digital services and cyber-fraud awareness. Many of these problems fall under other ministries, so volunteers cannot solve them on their own. Analysts have suggested that volunteers pass such problems to Elderline 14567, so the case reaches the official system and does not stop with the volunteer. This is only a suggestion from commentators, not an official MoSJE rule yet.