India, Nov. 14 -- Chandigarh's elder helpline needs more than fresh funds. It must be easy to reach and quick to respond. Picture a retired schoolteacher in Chandigarh who lives alone. Her children are abroad. A caller posing as her bank has just asked for an OTP. If she dials the Elder Line at 14567, the national helpline for senior citizens, no one will answer.

The city's Elder Line has been silent since June 2025, reportedly due to the freezing of central funds under the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana. Yet the funding freeze is only the last chapter. RTI data show that calls fell from 5,088 in 2022-23 to 2,600 in 2023-24 and to none in 2024-25. Calls appear to have stopped by December 2023, about 18 months before the formal suspension. The...