Covid-19: Good Samaritans join hands to extend helping hand to the poor in Patna

While the Bihar government has made arrangement for poor people at different places, these are often not enough due to the magnitude of the problem. This has brought in some good Samaritans to provide much needed help to the needy as part of their social responsibility.

With all kinds of business activities coming to a standstill and autorickshaws, taxis and rickshaws off road and movement stopped due to Covid-19 outbreak, thousands of labourers and daily-wage earners struggle, looking for help in this hour of unprecedented crisis across the state.

Volunteers of different organisations distribute essential items to the needy people during the 21 days nationwide lockdown in Patna, Tuesday, April 7, 2020. (ANI)

While the government has made arrangement for such people at different places, these are often not enough due to the magnitude of the problem. This has brought in some good Samaritans to provide much needed help to the needy as part of their social responsibility.

One of them is SD Sanjay, additional solicitor general of India, Patna High Court, who has taken it upon himself to feed as many needy people as he could with the help of his dedicated team - which includes his lawyer wife Sushila Agarwal and junior Parul Prasad. The team has grown with each passing day, as businessmen like Rajesh Surekha and Ashok Chaudhay, advocates, doctors and persons associated with other walks of life cutting across caste and creed have also joined in.

Last week, Sanjay was among the few persons associated with social service organisations that Rajya Sabha member Vinay Prabhakar Sahasrabuddhe interacted with under the aegis of Indian Social Responsibility Network to get feedback about how they were helping the poor and what more needs to be done.

Sanjay said that what started with few localities in Patna has now extended to some other districts also due to active involvement of the team members, but there’s still lots to be done.

“I am truly overwhelmed to see how people join hands for a good cause just for the sake of humanity, nothing else. At the Mahila thana in Gardanibagh, the SHO and others make it a point to distribute packets to the needy and also send us pictures. Many other police stations have also helped us reach to the really needy, viz. labourers, auto-drivers, rickshaw-pullers, etc. It is a different image of the police that has come out during the crisis,” he added.