Since March 23rd, India has been in lockdown. There have been several extensions to this and although in some parts of Ahmedabad, the lockdown has eased with a curfew and certain limitations, the containment zones still remain under lockdown. The vast majority of the red zones are in areas where the most deprived, excluded and vulnerable populations live – largely Muslims, Scheduled caste and Scheduled Tribes, Migrant Labourers and Daily Wagers.
On 1st June 2020, Unlock 1.0 came into effect in Gujarat; the first phase of three-phase unlock plan announced by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Gujarat Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani said that all shops, without the odd-even scheme will be allowed to open until 7pm in the state. The lockdown will continue in containment zones until 30th June.
In Gujarat, there are currently 29,520 confirmed cases, 6,269 active cases with a total of 1,753 deaths. Gujarat has the 4th highest cases in India after Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.
In the period since April, PEC & AWAG have been focusing their efforts on Covid-19 related work done undertaken in collaboration with AID.
Overall, foodkits distributed by AWAG & PEC was 850 (as at end of May) in addition to 1,340 foodkits by the end of June, totalling 2,190. With funds raised independently by PEC, we have reached 1,265 families. In total, we have reached 3,455 families in the last 3 months.
Our conversations and interventions so far reveal that the food security needs of the vulnerable population have increased as the lockdown has progressed, despite government provisions and charitable acts by local communities. We have come to understand that many families managed to survive on their savings, local charities and by better-off members within their communities, however, as the lockdown continued, both the local charities and individual savings and reserves of the vulnerable population have been exhausted.
We have reached out to survivors of domestic violence and child sexual abuse and we are also collaborating with Veer Divyang Trust, an organisation run by the differently-abled people for the differently-abled. We have also reached out to the people in the Leprosy Colony of Ahmedabad and to migrant labourers working in brick kilns in Mehsana and Anand.
Basic Necessity Kit
One of these basic necessity kits consists of:
4kg chapatti flour, 4kg rice, 1kg chickpea lentils, 1kg oil, 2 face masks. Cost per kit: 400 Rs
Comprehensive Supplementary Kit
One of these more comprehensive supplementary kits consists of:
3kg rice, 1kg jaggory or 2kg sugar, 1kg tuver daal lentils, 1kg oil, 1kg salt, 250g turmeric powder, 250g chilli powder, 250g tea, 5 bath soaps, 5 detergent soaps for washing clothes. Cost per kit: 800 Rs
PEC Bank details:
Donations are welcomed and if you would like to, you can donate a minimum of 10 basic necessity kits for 4,000 Rs or 10 comprehensive supplementary kits for 8,000 Rs.
If you would like to contribute to our cause, please use the following bank transfer details:
PEC bank details:
Name: PEACE AND EQUALITY CELL
Bank: PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK, Relief Road, Ahmedabad
Account Number: 3751000100264056
RTGS/NEFT IFS Code: PUNB0375100
Kindly inform Prita Jha (Programme Director of PEC) Pritarjha@gmail.com for any donations you make so that we can confirm receipt of your donation and plan our resources accordingly.
Thank you very much for your support during this challenging time.
Peace and Equality Cell 