BHUBANESWAR: Amid the chaos of Covid-19, people across the world have pushed the boundary of hope and humanity and come out in large numbers to help those in need.
In Pune, a group of Odia professionals have dared the pandemic to spread ‘happiness’ among migrant workers from Odisha left stranded and fending for themselves.
With Government help yet to reach the labourers in Pune, Odia IT professionals living in the city have activated an NGO to help the needy.
There are nearly 5,000 Odia families living in Chakan, Chinchwad, Pimpri, Kalewadi, Ranjangaon, Sutarwadi and Talegaon areas of the city. Around 1,200 Odia plumbers reside in Sutarwadi area and account for more than 70 per cent of the total plumbing workforce of the city.
With irregular earning and Government not reaching them, the migrants were struggling when the Odia professionals reached them with help.
They volunteered to deliver dry food packets through their NGO Spread Happiness Foundation which was formed in 2017. The dry food packets containing rice, dal, oil, salt and other grocery items have been distributed among more than 400 families so far.
“We came to know about their plight and volunteered to deliver cooked food to the families in different localities with support from local administration and Maharashtra Government,” said the president of the foundation Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra.
Odia migrant workers were provided cooked food for around a week till April 10 by the local administration but their plight worsened after it was stopped due to operational challenges.
“As these families struggled for essentials, we pooled money and arranged dry ration packets for these families. We called these packets #Happiness Kits,” he said.
More than 350 needy Odia families in Bhosari locality and 50 such families from Sutarwadi were provided essentials last week. “We are now working to help another 300 families in other areas of Pune and also preparing masks to be distributed among the people,” he said.
Members of the Foundation have so far managed to collect around Rs 45,000 from their own pocket to support the Odia migrant workers. However, hey know it is too little and Odisha Government must come forward with direct help to these workers in the city.
“Our analyses show that there are more than 5,000 migrant Odia families in Pune struggling for basic food supplies. In the initial days of lockdown, they managed from their savings but as days progressed and savings got exhausted, they are now facing untold hardships to meet their daily requirements,” said secretary of the foundation Jyotiranjan Panda.