A group of social workers in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, are feeding the residents of Telugu Basti in the city.
Since the lockdown was imposed, the dwellers lost their source of income and faced a shortage of food. Thanks to a team of social workers who are providing them with meals twice a day. The team has been tirelessly working for the past 39 days, serving almost 2,500 people per day in different areas of the capital. Till date, almost 74,000 cooked food packets have been distributed.
Umesh Khandelwal, a social worker and a state executive member of Bharatiya Janata Party, has been providing the service to the poor and needy in Bhubaneswar.
While speaking to The Logical Indian, Khandelwal said he started with the services on March 30, after the PM urged the country to volunteer and help the people in need during this pandemic.
Umesh said out of 900 people reside in the slum, of which 500 have left for Andhra Pradesh due to unavailability of essentials. The team has been providing meals twice for the 400 left in the area.
Umesh quotes his initiative as ‘Koi bhi bhookha na soye, main khana khilaunga’. Initially he started with his manager and staff but was later joined by many volunteers. The team starts preparing food at 5:00 am and distributes food mid-day. The team bifurcates the time and places accordingly, distributing cooked food and dry ration as per the requirement.
He even mentioned some labourers who stopped taking food after they resumed their work and could access their own. The team not only provides food to the migrant workers but also delivers essentials to senior citizens in self-quarantine.
They have distributed food to everybody who reached out to them covering almost all the parts of the city. Officers from the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) frequently visit the site to cross-check the quality of the food. The ration quota is always checked to make sure that there is no shortage of food.
Umesh has also arranged two vans for any sudden mortality that might occur and help perform the last rites of the deceased. The team will be providing services till the continuation of the lockdown. He is a part of many non-governmental organisations in the city such as ‘Marwahi Sammelan’, ‘Marwari Yuva Manch’, and ‘Marwari Sanstha’.
Umesh says as the Coronavirus cases in India are rising and the situation is deteriorating by each day, it is significant that we help each other in the fight against pandemic rather than solely depending on the government.
