BENGALURU: Mithun Reddy Layout in Bellandur will be adopted by QuEST Global and NASSCOM Foundation on Thursday. The year-long initiative aims at helping communities who lost their livelihood during the pandemic to sustain themselves. More than 400 households with around 2,000 people are expected to benefit from this CSR initiative.
As a big migrant population from northern parts of the country and Nepal have settled down in Bellandur, a survey was done on their living conditions. It was found that many families lived in tin roof houses at Thimma Reddy layout, near Doddamma Temple. Despite poor structure and facilities, the residents pay anywhere between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000 for these houses. In most of the areas surveyed, residents have completed their SSLC or graduation and are working as auto drivers, cab drivers and as flower shop vendors. But the pandemic dealt them a severe blow and many lost their jobs.
The initiative, ‘Resurgent Communities’, by the two entities is divided into three phases. The first phase aims at providing immediate relief by distributing ration kits and sensitising the community on continuing their day-to-day chores without being infected by Covid.In phase 2, schoolchildren will be provided with education and at least one adult per household will be made digitally literate.
The third phase will be to improve the livelihoods of residents by giving the skill training and creating avenues for micro-entrepreneurship. The initiative will also work on creating women self-help groups and community associations.
Ashok Pamidi, CEO, NASSCOM Foundation, said, “Right now, we are focussing on those who are above 18. We have a team of 4-5 members who will be on ground. Most people there are daily wage workers and our aim is to make one person in each household employable,” he said. QuEST Global is a global product engineering and lifecycle services company.