What can
BSNL do to Senior Citizens?
Dr P
Vyasamoorthy
BSNL is still the largest Telephone
service provider in India. Being a public sector company it has certain
additional responsibilities such as reaching out to rural masses, cover every
nook and corner of India, exhibit a greater sense of Corporate Social
responsibility etc. Faced with stiff competition BSNL has been losing customers
to competitors. To win them back a number measurers have been taken up. Some of
these include frequent downward tariff revisions, combined offers of mobile and
landline, schemes suiting to various sections of the society such as students,
government servants etc. Let us see now what BSNL can offer to senior citizens.
You may think of this as an Open Letter to policy makers at BSNL.
BSNL may offer special concessions or
discounts to senior citizens. After all they form nearly 8.5% of the total
population. This may be given to seniors living alone as identified by Voters
Lists or Government ID Cards. A certain number of calls may be free or at
reduced rates. As senior citizens are lonely they would like to engage
themselves in talking to others over phone or mobile. Greater the discount more
will be the utilization.
Senior Citizens do not like to be
disturbed by unsolicited commercial callers, advertisers, tele-marketers etc.
Such calls are very annoying especially in the afternoon hours while they take
a nap. The Do Not Call registry, though available in principle, does not work.
Many do not know how to register in Do NOT CALL Registry. Moreover the registry
presently works on the principle of excluding those who register from the
attack of commercial callers. It should be the other way round. Only those who
have given explicit permission to be disturbed by tele-marketers can be called.
If this can not be done then senior citizens may be helped through a help line
on using the registry.
BSNL may tie up with local NGOs. NGOs
may collect used mobile phones available as donations or throw away. BSNL may
help senior citizens to get used mobile phones for free or at cheaper prices
and provide some kind of minimal training in the use of cell phones to elders.
Mobile tariff to senior citizens may be given at a discount. Many older
persons, though having cell phones, can not send simple text messages. How cell
phones can help them in emergencies, in tracking patients with dementia etc may
be explained.
If large companies like BSNL can not take
up such socially pro-active tasks, who will?