Unprecedented efforts in unprecedented times are required. While India is fighting one of the fastest spreading COVID-19 pandemic and when people in India as mostly showing asymptomatic symptoms, somewhere in the lap of Shivalik mountains in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, is the town of Billawar where the quarantine centres were fast filling up with the agencies having limited resources and supplies.
With not much to do during the COVID-19 lockdown and luckily being in native, Billawar, Kathua Dist, in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, away from my regular handling northern sales operations of Altem Technologies, I thought of doing something for people of my area and volunteered with District Administration. During the early phase of lockdown, along with few others, and under the guidance of district administration, I engaged in distribution of food and other edible essentials to the people in around various small localities in our area. As we fairly completed this task, the need for other essentials, primarily healthcare for elderly and medicine was taken up again under district administration.
During the fifth week of COVID-19 Lockdown, as we all know India Started witnessing one of the largest human migration to villages (sources say that it can be close to 23-24 million – close enough to the entire population of Australia), on the other hand government agencies and our unsung heroes were working round the clock to contain the spread. One way of doing that and doing that fast was establishing quarantine centres across villages, towns, and cities. Migrating people were being held at the quarantine centres for 14 days as the incubation period for the virus may stretch up to 14 days before they were being let go.
In the small town of Billawar, we were seeing the number of migrant workers returning home was increasing day-by-day, but due to the nationwide lockdown and scarcity of supplies during lockdown it was challenging for the authorities to provide for all meals and snacks for each person, especially when the numbers were drastically increasing. Food was being provided only twice a day and most including women and children would have to go empty stomach between the morning brunch and dinner. Looking at this situation, I requested for help with Altem management, who decided to step in and support the quarantine center’s in Billawar by providing snacks/rusk/biscuits equivalent to fifty thousand Indian rupees between the two meals for all the people at the quarantine centres. As supplies were less in Billawar, we also went to neighboring towns and procured rusk/biscuits to be distributed at the quarantine center’s back home.
At this time of crisis this gesture from Altem was taken very positively and appreciated even by local authorities. It makes us proud to be able to contribute to the nation in fighting COVID-19 (though in a small way) with our humble contribution.
