IRS Officers Across Two States Come Together To Feed 12000+ Migrants in Bengaluru

The Better India’s “BETTER TOGETHER” initiative has brought together civil service officers from across the country as they help migrant labourers, daily wage earners, frontline workers, and all those who need our help most in these troubled times. One such group consists of officers from the Indian Revenue Service, Karnataka and Goa. This group is being led by Nishant K, Joint Commissioner of Income Tax, Bengaluru, who has taken significant measures to help.

As soon as the lockdown was announced, people lined up outside grocery stores and vegetable shops due to uncertainty about how the situation would pan out.

It didn’t help that several WhatsApp groups were rife with speculation about how everything would be impacted and shops would soon run out of stock.

While many of us returned home with bags full of groceries, a significant portion of the population was spending their evening wondering what they would do now and where their next meal would come from.

This above scenario was unfolding across the towns and cities of the country, including Bengaluru. As one of the first few cities in India to report a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases, the state government took great pains to strongly enforce the lockdown, and dissuade anyone from violating its rules.

However, even though the step was necessary to curb the spread of the contagious virus, it also left more than 13,000 migrant workers and their families in the city with no work or food supply.

One of the first responders to take cognisance of their plight, Nishant K, the Joint Commissioner of Income Tax, Bengaluru, decided to aid these helpless families.

Together with around 20 IRS officers from his department, he started distributing hot meals to approximately 1,800 migrant workers near Bommasandra.

Nivya Shetty, Assistant Income Tax Commissioner, Bengaluru, who is part of this group, says, “We all were deeply moved by the heartbreaking images of the migrant labourers. So, we got together, conducted a brainstorming session and took up the task of feeding them.”

“If not for these officers and the work that they are doing, we would have either starved or would have had to make do with water through this lockdown,” mentions a grateful beneficiary.

How did the initiative take shape?

Using the available resources and contacts, the department members started reaching out and putting together a team that could work towards providing hot meals for the labourers.

Nivya says, “From talking to the police department to identifying large scale kitchens, finding transport companies, to narrowing down on the area where we would distribute the food—we did it all.”

“Initially, we approached the Railway Canteen to prepare food for around 2,500 people and soon, with the help of BBMP, we identified the thousands of helpless people starving in different pockets of the city and escalated our efforts. We were helped in this task by NGO’s like Lifeline and Samarpan,” she adds.

The group served their first set of 500 meals on 31 March. Today, it serves more than 12,000 each day, making it a total of approximately 1.6 lakh meals served till date.

How is the food prepared?

The food is prepared across almost five centres by three private contractors and also includes the Railway Canteen, Karnataka State Chartered Accountant Association canteens.

Once cooked and packed, the NGO partners hand the food over to the Bengaluru police who then deliver it to the locations that have been picked. Some of the locations include Sampigehalli, Bagalur, Kottanooru, Amruthahalli, Mallathahalli, Chandra layout, Kamakshipalya, Chikka Basti, and Yelahanka.

Speaking about the finances that are needed to run this initiative, Nivya mentions, “The approximate expense incurred daily stands at around Rs 4 lakh, considering the average cost of one plate as Rs 30.” While as of now the initiative is being funded by family, friends, and the officers themselves, to be able to sustain their efforts and reach more people, they need to raise funds.

Nutrition along with food

The group has collaborated with the Central Food Technological Research Institute based in Mysore to ensure that the meals fulfil all nutritional requirements. The institute has been supplying various immunity-boosting food, which includes spirulina chikki and fruit bars.

“We wanted the food to not only fill their stomachs but also nourish them and build their immunity,” mentions Nivya.

In order to be able to continue feeding these labourers, Nishant and his team are collaborating with Dr Megha Bhargava’s NGO, Samarpan. The current target that the group wishes to reach is Rs 25 lakh, and you could make that happen.

Also Read: COVID-19: Strangers Across The World Send Letters of Hope To Those Battling Anxiety

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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