Kolkata: Police Commissioner Anuj Sharma inaugurates Pronam office

The Pronam project for senior citizens of Kolkata is run by Kolkata Police in collaboration with city-based non-governmental organization (NGO) The Bengal.

"I am glad that Pronam now has an additional state-of-the-art office. The Kolkata Police has created a 24x7 infrastructure to support the senior citizens of our city and ensure their safety. Pronam also organises various cultural activities for the elderly during the year,” Sharma said.

Project Pronam, which currently has nearly 20,000 registered senior citizens on its roll, was started in Jun 2010.

The Pronam project is supported by Shree Cement Ltd as a part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.

"The Pronam project has grown over the years and reached out to the senior citizens of the city providing security and moral support. The corona virus outbreak has posed a serious question mark on the well-being of senior citizens in Kolkata, especially those who live by themselves.

"Many elderly residents of Kolkata have children working outside the city or country and are hard up to carry out the daily chores like going to the market or doctors. The Pronam staff with the help of Kolkata Police personnel have stood by the elderly during these trying times," said industrialist Hari Mohan Bangur, Chairman, The Bengal, in a message.

"This additional Pronam office, which is an Emergency Coordination Room for Senior Citizens, is a modern fully-equipped computerized office with video conferencing facility which would further streamline Pronam’s functioning and managing the ever-growing registration base of senior citizens,” said Esha Dutta, Joint Convenor of Pronam.

The Kolkata Police has a dedicated Senior Citizen Helpline Number for the elderly to call on and report their problem. The Pronam office works 24 hours with the helpline 03324190740.

On an average, Pronam receives close to 1000 applications each month from senior citizens seeking membership. Currently, senior citizens above the age of 60 years living within the jurisdiction of Kolkata are eligible for Pronam membership under certain criteria.

"Pronam has been very successful in reaching out to the elderly in Kolkata and there is a huge demand to expand its sphere and cover more senior citizens. The Pronam project has been very successful in creating a community service model for the elderly.

"At this time our helpline is buzzing with calls for groceries and medicines. We are trying our best to meet the requests. Now, with two offices of Pronam the coordination work would be a lot smoother,” Sundeep Bhutoria, Secretary General, The Bengal.

At present Jogen Choudhury is the President of The Bengal and Goutam Ghose the Working President. Other members of The Bengal include Usha Uthup, Dona Ganguly, Bickram Ghose, Arindam Sil, Agnimitra Paul who extend their support to the Pronam project.