Agartala: As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to batter the unorganized sector—explicitly the daily-wage labour class, social activist and senior labour leader Biplab Kar started a community kitchen in Agartala city to serve meals to the poor and needy. Kar had long been associated with anti-Left politics and now head of a trade union, extended “in principle” support to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party prior to the 2018 assembly elections.
After witnessing the plight of day labourers, municipal workers, rickshaw pullers and vagabonds, Kar moved a proposal in his organization’s state meeting to take effective steps in order to ensure that no one starves due to lack of work. Finally, after all the arrangements, his mass cooked food distribution drive in lieu of a token amount of rupee 1 commenced on June 23.
As soon as the clock strikes 12 in noon, people from various parts of the city stand in queues to receive a meal. For most of them, whom the ETV Bharat spoke to, it is their first meal of the day. On the token amount that is charged, Kar said, “for daily wage labourer, his or her self-esteem and respect is the biggest thing. They should not feel that they are being fed on someone’s mercy. The token amount will give them a morale boost that they have earned what they are eating.”
On the matter, he said, about three months back, he thought something should be done for the people who are forced to spend their days starving or half-fed as the economic activities were still not opened up like the normal times.
Also read: Social organisations provide food to needy in Chhattisgarh
“We finally got enough help from various markets and channelized the gathered resources to open the kitchen. We are not taking money as help, it is the resources that are required to make a good meal and that is what we are asking as help. Each day, 200 people are being served cooked food that comprises—vegetarian dishes for five days, one day we are serving eggs and fish. That is our routine for the week”, he added.
He said, he has plans to expand the kitchen gradually adding up to 50 to 100 more platters a day and it will be a sustained process.
On being asked about his demands on behalf of his organization, he said, “the Left front government did injustice to the people belonging to the labour class by discriminating in issuing labour cards. It requires a thorough review. Several times, we have attracted the attention of the state government but no fruitful results have come henceforth. The BPL cards issued by the previous government also require a review as many people leading high profile lives are also enjoying the benefits of Below Poverty Line.”
