COVID-19 pandemic: Social organisations provide food to needy


PTI | Mumbai | Updated: 24-03-2020 13:01 IST | Created: 24-03-2020 13:01 IST
COVID-19 pandemic: Social organisations provide food to needy
  • Country:
  • India

Various social organisations and NGOs have come forward to provide food to daily wagers, homeless and other people affected by the curfew imposed in Maharashtra in view of the coronavirus pandemic. Some Sikh community members have been organising 'langar' (free kitchen) at a gurudwara in suburban Mumbai since last two days.

Besides, some NGOs distributed food packets to homeless people at Kalyan and Dombivali in neighbouring Thanre district on Monday. The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Students' Islamic Organisation of India and some other organisations also distributed around 1,000 food packets to people in the last two days in Madanpura, Jogeshwari, Andheri, Oshiwara, Kurla and Vikhroli areas of Mumbai and Mumbra and Kalyan in Thane.

Volunteers reached out to people affected by the lockdown, especially daily wagers, and provided them food. On Monday afternoon, food packets were provided in Anna Nagar to truck drivers who were working in the city and did not have lunch.

Some volunteers of Jamaat-e-Islami, Alliance Against CAA-NRC-NPR and Memon community members provided lunch in the last two days to daily wagers who were stranded at the Kurla terminus while waiting for trains to return to their home towns. A similar help was extended by the Jamaat-e-Islami to the needy in various parts of Vikhroli as well as slum localities near Hiranandani, Powai.

In Kalyan, nearly 10 social organisations have joined these Mumbai-based NGOs, who plan to provide around 600 ration kits to the needy families. The volunteers have been taking necessary hygiene precautions by wearing gloves and face masks and using hand sanitisers during food distribution.

"We feel that as human beings, it's our responsibility to help the most vulnerable amongst us in their time of need. We appeal to all citizens of Mumbai and Thane to join in our efforts. We also request the state government to put in place a safety net for those who have lost work during the lockdown," Jamaat-e-Islami's Mumbai president Haseeb Bhatkar said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Give Feedback