E-Paper
On the frontline: We receive calls daily requesting for help, says president of Vande Mataram Sanghatana
The organisation is involved in the distribution of food packets across the city during the lockdown to the urban poor
Vaibhav Wagh is the state president of the Vande Mataram Sanghatana, which is a city-based youth organisation currently working to provide help to all those in need during the times of the Covid-19 pandemic. The organisation is involved in the distribution of food packets across the city during the lockdown to the urban poor.
What exactly is your role in this crisis?
We are a youth group called Vande Mataram Sanghatana and since the lockdown began, we have been distributing food packets in coordination with other youth organisations. We have base kitchens in different parts of the city from where our volunteers collect the cooked food and then distribute it to students, beggars, workers and whoever need it. It is distributed in the morning and evening and necessary police permissions are taken for it.
How does your day begin and roll out?
My day starts with phone calls, which we get from various parts of the city requesting for help. We have also started giving raw food material in a kit to the labour camps, poor people and those who are stuck in the city because of the lockdown. Throughout the day, I receive hundreds of calls, then, I coordinate with our volunteers and go out on the field for distribution work. At night, we plan what areas we could target the next day.
What precautions are you taking?
All our volunteers are taking precautions prescribed by the government like using face masks, regularly washing hands, using hand sanitizer and maintaining social distance during the distribution work.
What is your assessment of the Covid-19 crisis in Pune? How is it unfolding?
The restrictions will help the city contain the spread of the Sars-Cov-2 virus which causes the Covid-19 disease. We are seeing a lot of good work during the times of crisis, with people coming forward with donations and help. If all the precautionary measures given by the government are strictly followed by residents, then, I think we will definitely win this battle soon.
What gaps do you see in healthcare and relief work?
There are no gaps as such, but I think there is a need to improve the relief work. In some of the areas, help is given twice and there is no verification. We have seen that people who have already received help (food/other items), still demand for more help to stock up on the items. However, due to this, those who have been left out, do not receive any help.
