In the awake of Corona outbreak, PM Narendra Modi forced an unplanned lockdown from March 24, 2020 in the name of controlling the spread of the SARS Covid virus. Most of the people in the industrial city of Durgapur depend directly or indirectly on industry for their livelihood and the lockdown shuts most of these factories. The daily wage earners started feeling the pinch from the very first week.
Social welfare organization Durgapur Adda Young Association soon understanding ground reality realized the miserable condition of the daily wage earners and started an initiative to ensure that no one dies out of hunger.
DAYA started a self designed project named, “None Should Die of Hunger” (Anaharay Keu Jaano Nah Moraay) from 31st March 2020 and kept it running till June 13, 2020; a total of 64 days.
The members of the organization identified the most marginal areas of Durgapur city and conducted a survey there, so as to make a list of the families in dire state. One or two days after the list being made, DAYA members distributed food item packets containing certain life support items. Depending upon the size of the families, each packet consisted of 2.5-5 kg rice, 1-3 kg potato, 1-1.5 kg onion, 1 kg sugar, 0.5 kg Masur Dal, 0.5-1 kg Chatu, 0.5-1 kg Chidwa, 250-400 grams Soybean, 250-500 grams Mustard oil and 1 body soap.
Apart from distributing livelihood items in the marginal areas, people living in different quarters of Durgapur city and adjoining colonies, who lost job due to lockdown, but could not come out in public and stand in queue to collect food packets, were helped by reaching out to them in their home when they asked for help in our helpline numbers.
An approximate 3100 families were helped in this period. There is no denying the fact that the quantity of livelihoods handed over to each of these families, were far less than their requirement, but it definitely ensured that no one in Durgapur dies out of hunger. One more thing about this project, although the participation of the members in the initial days were very little due to the fear psychosis of Corona, but as day progressed, the members got involved in this endeavor shedding their panic; this is also a success.