The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : A humane gesture by call centre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 16, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

A humane gesture by call centre

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, NOV.15. The Parishkaram Call Centre established by the Government as a helpline for its citizens, has enabled a poor rural illiterate V. Satyanarayana of Attili (West Godavari district) to get the body of his wife who died in Kuwait on July 30 this year while working there as a maid.

He received the message of death of V. Surya Kumari on August 2 and thanks to the intervention of the call centre, the body was brought here on November 12, according to R. P. Sisodia, Director, Electronically Delivered Services (EDS) formerly known as e-Seva, which handled the issue after the call centre brought it to his notice. The call centre not only helped Mr. Satyanarayana in transporting the body, but also took necessary action for probing the cause of death.

Transportation arranged

According to an official release, the Chief Secretary wrote to the Foreign Secretary for redressal of the grievance. The Foreign Secretary instructed the Indian embassy to arrange for transporting the body to the State.

The embassy sent the body through Air India's cargo. Arrangements were made in the airport here for the husband to receive it. As he did not know the means to take the body to his village he sought help of the call centre. The EDS Director agreed to release funds towards transportation charges. An ambulance was booked and Mr. Satyanarayana was able to take the body to his village. Part of the expenditure was borne by the embassy, Air India and the State Government.

The release said a citizen could merely dial "1100" toll-free 24-hour help line and get his grievance registered and resolved. It receives 1,142 calls a day. As of now, 322,941 calls were processed. Of them 255,827 were information based and 67,114 pertained to grievances on specific department queries.

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