No salary, yet 181 Helpline workers continue to help
LUCKNOW:: Huma Nafees, a staffer at 181 women helpline service, was attending to a woman in distress on Saturday in Budaun despite the fact she had got her salary since June 2019.
Like Nafees, there are 350 other 181 employees who have not been paid salaries since last 10 months. UP government’s 181 women’s helpline service is among the frontline agencies roped in for ‘rescuing, counselling and assisting women’ in distress. Conceptualized at pan India level after the infamous Delhi gangrape case of 2012, in UP the helpline dealt with around 200-300 distress calls in a day. The service was started in 11 UP districts in 2016 and later extended to other districts. While the staff posted at call centres used to attend call, those attached with district level One Stop Centres (Asha Jyoti Centres) used to visit victims to provide help.
In UP, the scheme is outsourced to GVK EMRI, a private firm pioneer in Emergency Management Services in India.
“We are working like we used to work in normal times-- visiting the home of victims on foot, taking them for medical emergencies, assisting them in filing cases, counselling and providing shelter,” said Neetu Singh of Budaun.“Unfortunately, our own salary issue remains unresolved,” she said while narrating her ordeal of managing her house without salary.
Last year, in June, the funding to the firm was stopped by the government.While the staff continues to report, the call centre is shut since lockdown . The service has an emergency vehicle in each district. But these are lying defunct as the organisation does not have funds to meet the expenses However, those working in the field are still reaching out to people in distress whenever the district probation officers (DPOs) inform them about any such call. “The staff is working on the directions of the DPO. 181 workers are rescuing women in distress besides providing all kinds of support like other days,” said project director Ashish Kumar. “We have not been paid wages but since these are tough times, we are reporting to work and helping women in distress,” said Mitali, who is posted at a shelter home in Prayagraj.
A worker in Shamli, who wished not to be named, said, “During the lockdown period, lot of information about women in distress reaches us. We have rescued three women only recently.” These workers are attending women in distress at shelter homes. “We are stationed at shelter home where police bring women in distress. Had the 181 helpline been active, more cases could have come,” said Ruchi, a worker in Kaushambi.
“Around 350 employees posted across the state have not received salaries since June last year. The helpline, which started three years ago in UP, has helped five lakh women and rescued 1.5 lakh of them, said Kumar while adding: “The salary matter of staff is pending and will be resolved soon. As far as working passes are concerned, they can apply with the DPO office,” said Manoj Kumar Rai, director, Women and child development.