Thiruvananthapuram, September 11 – Kerala has introduced the Elder‑Friendly Office Certification (EFOC), the first national scheme of its kind, according to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office.
The Department of Senior Citizens’ Welfare will assess government offices, from village and taluk offices to hospitals, banks and transport counters, against common standards. Mandatory criteria include step‑free entry, a ground‑floor toilet, a priority queue for seniors and dedicated staff to address their needs. Certified offices receive Gold, Silver or Bronze ratings, and the certification must be renewed after a set period.
Offices are evaluated across five domains: building accessibility (30 %), service delivery (25 %), staff training and conduct (20 %), communication (15 %) and participation (10 %). An office cannot be certified if any mandatory requirement is missing, regardless of its overall score. Ten percent of certified offices will be subject to unannounced inspections each year, carried out by independent, empanelled third‑party agencies with no ties to the offices.
A Nodal Cell under the Department of Senior Citizens’ Welfare will maintain the registry, while a state‑level Steering Committee will approve standards and award Gold certificates. The scheme draws on the Sharjah model in the UAE, the WHO Age‑Friendly Cities network and the US Certified Age‑Friendly Employer programme. Technical standards for ramps, signage and toilets will follow national guidelines issued under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act in 2021.
In the first phase, criteria will be finalized, a government order issued and agencies empanelled. Over the next six months, one office in each of the 14 districts will be selected for a pilot. In the second year the scheme will expand statewide to village, taluk and collectorate offices, treasuries, RTOs and government hospitals; from the third year it will cover other offices. Private hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies may join voluntarily on a paid basis.
Certified offices will receive a plaque, a QR‑coded digital certificate and their names will be listed in a public registry. The pilot is expected to begin within the current financial year after agency empanelment.
