The COVID-19 has affected 4,314 and claimed 118 lives in India. The lockdown in effect across the country has left millions without an income — most of them daily wage earners, maids and labourers who constitute the informal sector of the country. Debayan Mukherjee, Soumyadeep Mondal and Debottam Basu are trying their best to provide ration for these people in Bengaluru and some parts of West Bengal. Their campaign, HundrAID, aims to help around 500 families across the Karnataka capital and have raised Rs 1.56 lakh since March 25 and supported 225 families till date. All they want is a donation of Rs 100 from people.
While Debottam and Soumyadeep provide the backend support from Kolkata, Debayan is on the ground, distributing the ration to localities in Bengaluru with the help of the police. Debayan is an IT professional based out of the city. "I went and spoke to various police stations across the city and they have been very helpful. They suggested which areas need help the most. We have collected Rs 100 each from our friends and through social media. We distributed groceries and other essentials to over 100 families with necessary precautions in Sharif Nagar, Jayram Colony, Sunulgudu, BK Nagar and Pampanagar Slum in Yeswanthpur Jurisdiction, our highest distribution in a single day till now, assisted by the Bengaluru Police," said Debayan. "Each pack of ration has 2 kg rice, 1 kg sugar, 2 litres oil, 1 kg dal, two soaps, brush and toothpaste, 250 gms tea, 1 kg onion and 10 packs of biscuits. Each pack should ideally last five to six days. Rs 100 pays for one person's ration for the week. For each family its Rs 500 per pack," he added.
But when Debayan and eight of his volunteers went out to distribute the ration they realised they needed to do more. "Every slum or locality we went to had around 250 families. We spoke to the person-in-charge and distributed the ration to 25 families who need it the most in that area. We felt we definitely need to do more. But our funds have also been depleted by now and we need more funding," said Debayan. "Not just that we need people to let us know if they know anyone who is in need and we can help. We urge everyone to spread the word. This will help us collect more funds. We are not an NGO — just a group of friends trying to help those who need it the most at this time of crisis," added Debottam, an architect and a budding filmmaker.
You can pay them at GPay/UPI @ +91 9666941189 and also visit their Facebook page for updates https://www.facebook.com/hundrAID/
