Amid the State government’s repeated assurance that it is doing everything possible to take care of lakhs of migrant workers stranded in the State during the lockdown has emerged a touching tale from Kasaragod of a migrant returning the favour.

Vinod Jagid, a tile worker at Kuttapunna, walked into the Neeleswaram police station on Wednesday evening and handed over his contribution of ₹5,000 to the Chief Minister’s Distress Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF). Originally from Bharatpur district in Rajasthan, Vinod is settled in Kasaragod for over a decade and did not have to think twice before handing over his small contribution of hard-earned money for his adopted home’s fight against the pandemic.

He chose to hand over the money to the police since he felt it was the most trustworthy route to ensure that the money reached where it was intended. “I am also part of this land now. Even before, I used to contribute for local programmes during festivals like Onam,” said Vinod who stays with his wife and a two-year-old daughter in a rented house.

When news reached him that his friends back in Bharatpur were contributing to efforts to fight the pandemic, he felt it was only fitting that he made a similar gesture towards Kerala, which has been his home for all practical purposes.

Vinod said he and his fellow workers were happy with what the State government was doing for their well being during the crisis, which has now deprived them of work for over a fortnight. They have enough stock of provisions, and the local body officials are checking on them regularly to ensure that they never run short of them.

“This place has been good to us, and we would love to continue living here,” Vinod said.