About this Initative - Why migrant laborers ?

Migrant laborers form a significant part of unorganized labor force in India.

·         One of the most affected people in this time (April 2020) of pandemic.

·         The poorest among the poor people in an industrial city like Coimbatore.

·         They don't get benefits provided by the public distribution system.

·         Many of them are daily wage laborers. 

The rationale for reaching out to migrant workers

·         Small companies are helpless

Coimbatore’s economy is built by the numerous small and medium industries in the past few decades.  During the last decade, the migrant workers have been a bonus to these industries. Most of these laborers hail from states in north India and north eastern India. In the current scenario of lockdown, the MSMEs are also strongly hit economically. So they are in no position to help to these migrant workers.

·         What about government support?

A detailed independent report in the The Hindu (Apr 20/21) revealed the fact that 96% of the migrant workers did not receive any rations or freebies from the government. The local political parties see no apparent gain or mileage by helping migrant laborers. Migrant laborers do not get to vote in the places where they work.  So they are completely orphaned in terms of authorities’ support.

·         And what more?

The poor and exploited people starving in large numbers is not only a humanitarian situation, it is also a potentially explosive situation. There have been instances in places like Mumbai and Surat, Gujarat where migrant laborers came to the streets in thousands, asking the government to make arrangement to help them go back to their homes in north India. This is not only a very small spark of social unrest, but also a huge setback in our fight against Corona and enforcing physical / social distancing among general public.

Given these reasons, it is important that middle class, upper middle class and upper class people of India and of Indian origin contribute whatever available resources they have, to reach out to migrant laborers who are in dire need of help. The technique explained here in this blog avoids intermediaries and ensures delivery to the needy.

If any reader has read this post this far, then he/she is likely to want to help these people. The reader may have so many questions, like the following.

1. How to locate these people?
2. How to physically deliver it to them without compromising physical/social distancing?
3. Providing grocery or providing cooked food? Which is better?

This blog is aimed at providing answers to the above questions and more. It is also aimed at documenting the work that I have done, which may help someone else in future.

Techniques devised - Remote Distribution of Relief Material

Remote Distribution of Relief Material (RDRM). Using RDRM, I am able to help people in various part of Coimbatore in spite of being physically located in Bangalore, India.

Good number of case studies and quite a few photographs of migrant laborers receiving help can be found here in this blog.

The team driving this

Financial contribution

·         Mostly my college mates  from PSG Tech 83-87, their friends and family

Execution of the plan

·         Tamil medium high school mates from Kikani

·         Childhood friends from Coimbatore.

·         Some of my childhood neighbors from Ramalingam Colony, Coimbatore

·         And many more

Some traditional relief material distribution techniques have also been put to use, after adapting them to Corona imposed physical/social distancing constraints.