About Maldhari Helpline 1800-103-8700
Maldhari Helpline is the only toll-free telephone service for the pastoralists in India. Currently it provides access to information to the pastoralist in Gujarat. In recent years the mobile phones have increasingly been used by the pastoralist community to coordinate during migration, to share information, and to mobilize communities. However, these communications systems remain fragmented and informal. The information hub at the Helpline aims to provide a reliable, formal system of information gathering and distribution that can be accessed by all pastoralists. It is expected that the right information at the right time will allow pastoralists to make better informed decisions and thereby strengthen their livelihoods.
Helpline was launched in June 2014 in three districts of Gujarat: Kutch, Patan and Surendranagar where the population of the Maldharis is significantly high. Currently, the Helpline is accessed by the pastoralists from all over Gujarat.
In addition to the helpline service, voice messages are also sent to the subscribed pastoralists. These voice messages include advisory on emergency situations such as disease outbreak, weather update or any other useful information.
The Helpline has been successfully used by the pastoralists in Gujarat. Over 1800 calls were received in first 9 months after the launch of the helpline. The information asked mainly included advisory on land entitlements, feed/fodder/milk/ghee markets, livestock health and veterinary, children education, government schemes and weather.
MARAG is currently updating the information data base which will be available online and also plans to launch the helpline service for pastoralists in other states.
Maldhari Helpline Provides Information On:
- Weather
- Livestock Health and Veterinary
- Market
- Education
- Government Schemes
- Land Entitlement
- Legal Support