#CoronaWarrior: Tiruppur IAS Provides Weekly Rations to 62,000 Migrant Labourers

Daily wage labourers, migrant workers and marginalised communities across India have been grievously affected by the steps to flatten the curve. In Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and other cities, thousands are going hungry, sleeping in filthy spaces under bridges, facing apathy from employers, people and authorities alike. Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, the hapless workers can neither go back home nor survive this lockdown.

However, at the other end of the spectrum are scores of officials and people coming together to help the needy in the doldrums. Like the case in Tiruppur, the textile city of Tamil Nadu, where District Collector, IAS Dr K Vijayakarthikeyan is spearheading a relief kit distribution initiative to ensure that factory workers stay well-fed and safe.

The city has a population of around 3 lakh workers from Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. With strict lockdown rules implemented all over the country, many of these workers are now stranded, some even without the means to have a decent meal.

How our #MigrantWorkers 24×7 Control room works ! #Tiruppur #திருப்பூர் #HelpDesk pic.twitter.com/khIQhG0iMf
— Vijayakarthikeyan K (@Vijaykarthikeyn) April 14, 2020

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Speaking to The Better India (TBI) about the relief work in Tiruppur, the IAS officer says, “The workers are the driving force of Tiruppur and I could not have them suffer during such a huge crisis. While some workers did have compassionate employers who ensured shelter and food to them, others were not so fortunate. Our target was to help those falling in the latter category.”

With a 24*7 operating control room and enough ration to feed over 62,000 people, Vijayakarthikeyan is carrying out relief measures on a war footing.

Here are the steps taken by his team to provide ration and food to daily wagers in the city.

Tiruppur Corona Fighters:

To assimilate and organise the information on workers and centrally-monitor all the relief activities Vijayakarthikeyan first set up a control room.

“We have categorised the workers into three groups. One where the employers take care of the accommodation and food. The second group consists of labourers who get food and essentials but do not have accommodation. The third category is of workers who have neither. Our focus is on the last,” the officer informs.

He also made sure to employ multilingual operators in the control room to communicate with the labourers from a diverse background. Whenever they receive a lead about a worker or a community of workers going hungry, the control room gets to work. With over 1,200 volunteers and government officials spread all across the district of Tiruppur, the control room operators have to assign specific tasks to the right person.

“We verify the details of the workers as soon as we get the call. Among the things we ask is how much their employers are providing. Those who have been abandoned or left without pay are given utmost priority. There are many who are not on permanent payroll. Our aim is to ensure their safety first,” Vijayakarthikeyan.

Once the information is verified, the operators get in touch with the local authorities or volunteers and delegate the task to them.

(You can reach out to them on the following numbers: 0421-2671140. Or call up the volunteers directly:

Ganesh: +919944996200
Prashant Bellikatti: 9843038894
Jayanth: 8610991141
Vivek: +919787316256)

Other Initiatives of Tiruppur IAS During COVID-19 Lockdown:

• Doorstep delivery of vegetables throughout the district. Call 9944932005 / 9894594476 / 9159595951 / 9629535353 / 9894181414 to avail them
• Close monitoring of the 880+ people put under home quarantine.
• Helpdesk for antenatal mothers for general medical advice and for emergencies.
• Social distancing measures taken in shops to curb the spread of COVID-19

Tiruppur Administration Leads the Way:

Through information shared via the helpline number and their own leads, the IAS officer and his team have helped 62,744 people so far. They provide ration kits that cost Rs 755 and consist of 5 kg rice, 1.5 kg wheat flour, 1 kg dal as well as oil, sugar, biscuits, tea dust, onions, tomatoes and a carton box. This quantity is enough to last a person for about a week.

“Since the lockdown has extended, we now need more ration to provide to the same workers as well as others,” says Dr Vijayakarthikeyan.

So far, the initiative was running under the state government’s relief grants and CSR funds. But the IAS officer needs to raise Rs 10 lakh now to procure at least 1,325 more kits. And you can help him feed the needy.

The Better India is standing with IAS officers across India working incessantly to provide food and daily essentials to migrant labourers and daily wage earners. Click the link below to do your bit during the COVID-19 lockdown!

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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