The group peel potatoes, knead the dough, roll chapattis and pack meals for 1,500 families
A group of 25 people in Jaipur have come together to cook food for over 1,500 families living in the city's Murlipura area. The nationwide coronavirus lockdown has left these families unemployed and their survival depends solely on the meals served by this community kitchen.
Twice a day, these 25 people, all from different backgrounds and professions, peel potatoes, knead dough, roll chapatis and pack meals for the daily wage workers who are have lost their jobs and livelihood.
"I have a clothing business. We come here every morning and evening and help cook food. There are many who have been left without food so we are trying to feed as many mouths as we can," Niranjan Sharma told NDTV.
The daily wage earners, who worked in shops , factories, and small establishments, are spread all across the country in small colonies making it extremely difficult for the government to identify every one of them. Localised community kitchens, set up by individuals or groups, are now feeding these daily wagers and helping them survive.
25 people, from different backgrounds and professions, have come together to feed the daily wagers
Rampreet, a rickshaw puller who moved to Jaipur from Samastipur in Bihar 30 years ago, lives in a big family with 11 members. With the country under lockdown, he has lost his source of income.
"I am a cycle rickshaw puller. I have so many children to feed. I used to earn around Rs 300 a day. Now, god is helping us through these people," Rampreet told NDTV.
The volunteers at this community kitchen have created a list of daily wage workers and have distributed food coupons to their families which can be exchanged for meal packets twice a day.
"My husband is a security guard and my son used to work in a factory. Now both are at home. The food from the kitchen helps us survive," said Lalita, who has a family of 8.
Dinesh, who used to work in a mill, said, "We have run out of food and money. So, we come here to collect food every day."
The lockdown has hit migrant workers and daily wage earners the hardest. State governments across the country are scrambling to ensure that everyone has access to food and shelter during the lockdown.