Alumni and students of the NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad have come together to contribute to the ongoing relief efforts in the plight of migrant workers owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in India.
The NALSAR team has partnered with multiple civil society organisations and individuals to support stranded migrant workers with nutritious food, water, sanitation kits with also in making travel arrangements for those who wish to travel to their homes, informed a press release.
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NALSAR Team has undertaken various projects with total of Rs 25 lakhs through its fundraiser mechanism:
Services like Bus travel from Bhilwara, Rajasthan to Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh
The team in collaboration with Jai BhimVikasSevaSanstha and AkhilBharatiyaSamajSewaSansthan had facilitated the travel from Bhilwara district, Rajasthan, to Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh of 9 migrant worker families comprising of 20 adults and 25 children.
The brick kilns had been closed and the workers had lost their jobs due to the persisting lockdown crisis which left them stranded on the road, with little to no money, no shelter, water or access to basic amenities.
An amount of Rs.1,000 per person was transferred to sustain the migrant workers when they get home and total allocation for this project was Rs 1.2 lakhs, which covered their travel expenses, food etc.
NALSAR team were all screened for COVID-19 in the quarantine centre, given food on arrival along with ration from the State Government on reaching the destination. However, amongst them, 5 have been quarantined for further treatment that had slight fever.
Services of Flight travel from Bengaluru to Raipur
The teamin collaboration with Loving Migrant Workers Network and Samerth Charitable Trust had organised and funded a chartered flight from Bengaluru to Raipur via Indigo Airlines for the travel of 174 migrant workers including four infants.
By organizing 12 buses, the team had arranged for these passengers to reach the Bangalore airport from various places in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, including Karwar, Bylakuppe, Kolar, Hosur, etc.
Rs.1, 000 per person as an immediate relief measure was also provided to the migrants. An approximate total of Rs. 16 lakhs was spent on this project, mentioned the Press Release.
The NALSAR team also expressed their gratitude to their transport partner, Indigo Airlines for making this initiative possible.
Facilitating the travel journey of 21 migrant workers from Kerala to Jharkhand
The team in partnership with Goonj had facilitated the home-bound return of 21 migrant workers from Jharkhand who were stranded in Aloor, Kerala via a shramik Train.
The local administration in their hometown of Jamtara, Jharkhand had ensured that they reached the screening centre; provided those with meals, besides bread, biscuits and water bottles, the release informed.
Aid related to food in West Bengal
The team, currently is in the process of disbursing a sum of Rs 1 lakh (half of which has already been disbursed) to the National Hawker Federation (NHF) in Kolkata for their community food kitchens. The team collaborated with the Bangla Sanskriti Mancha (BSM) for supply of ration kits to 200 affected families.
The other projects undertaken by the NALSAR team included allocating a sum of Rs. 1,05,600 for the bus travel of migrant workers from Telangana to Odisha, providing food at Secunderabad Railway Station for migrant workers and their children travelling from Bengaluru to Nagpur and the provision of logistical support for bus travel of migrants from Shillong, Meghalaya to Chandel, Manipur.
Read the press Release here:
