In the whirlwind of suffering and distress that migrant workers are trapped in, common citizens have come up to help provide aid, transport, and other necessities. Considering the lack of central aid to these marginalised people, wherein they’ve had to pay for train tickets, been given rotten food, and even been beaten up by the police, the assistance they’re receiving from the common public is much needed.
According to NDTV, Rohit Kumar, a teacher in Delhi, and his friend Zartab raised around Rs 4 lakhs, and sent 100 migrant workers home to their villages in Uttar Pradesh.
They put out an appeal on social media saying they want to send helpless migrants back to their villages, one bus at a time. Within a few days, they managed to raise the amount. This is indicative of the fact that there is at least a public desire to help these people. A bus was hired to pick up workers from different parts of the city and take them to a screening centre where they were found fit to travel.
They have now raised funds for 10 buses that can transport 350 people, and they are also providing food packets to the poor.
Rohit and Zartab actually became friends while helping the victims of the Delhi violence earlier this year. Zartab, who works as a lecturer, said,
This is the least we ordinary citizens could have done from our limited resources to ease the suffering of these migrant workers
It’s heartening to see everyday people rising to the challenge and becoming aid workers and providing for those who have less than them. Our migrant workers need a centralised means of assistance, but in the absence of that, this is the next best thing.
