BENGALURU : From complaints about someone cutting the queue at a milk booth to alerts about a group of starving daily wagers to dealing with health emergencies for senior citizens, government helplines across the country are dealing with a 90% increase in calls during the lockdown resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
A few days ago, the Uttar Pradesh 112 police helpline got a panicked call asking for a box of sweets for an 80-year-old. The senior citizen’s blood sugar had plummeted, and the police delivered the sweets within half an hour.
About 1,800km away in Malekoppa village in Karnataka’s Kolar district, a man called the 104 government health helpline to say his friend had attempted suicide.