Pune: A group of Odia IT professionals in Pune has come forward to feed migrant families from Odisha stranded there due to the lockdown.
The group members have spent Rs 45,000 from their own pockets to distribute dry food packets containing rice, dal, oil, salt and other grocery items to more than 400 families so far.
Helping the families through their NGO ‘Spread Happiness Foundation’, the group estimates that there are nearly 5,000 Odia families, including 1,200 Odia plumbers, residing in Chakan, Chinchwad, Pimpri, Kalewadi, Ranjangaon, Sutarwadi and Talegaon areas of the city.
Earlier the families were given cooked food by the local administration, but it was stopped due to some operational challenges. “As these families struggled for essentials, we pooled money and arranged dry ration packets for these families. We are now working to help another 300 families in other areas of Pune and also preparing masks to be distributed among the people,” president of the foundation Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra was quoted by the New Indian Express as saying.
With disruptions in earnings due to the nationwide lockdown, the migrant families are struggling to meet their daily essentials. However, with direct support from the Odisha government, their plight can be solved, said the secretary of the foundation.
