Kolhan Univ’s NSS cadets feed jobless labourers in Steel City

Jamshedpur: National Service Scheme (NSS) cadets of Kolhan University, with support from a private firm, RSB Foundation have been feeding daily wagers at Baba Tilka Majhi Basti here after they were rendered jobless because of the lockdown. Every day, the cadets distribute cooked meals for them, who live along the banks of Domuhani in Sonari rivers, since April 5.
A senate member of the university, Amitabh Senapati, who coordinated with the firm for arranging the meals, said, “The idea behind this initiative was to make sure that these labourers, who used to work in construction companies before the lockdown came into force, do not have to go elsewhere in search of food.”
S K Behera, chairman of RSB Foundation, said supporting the NSS initiative is part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility. “When the NSS approached us, we readily agreed to utilise the canteen at our plant in Adityapur, which has been shut owing to the lockdown, to prepare the food and help the NSS cadets in supplying it to the poor,” Behera added.
Gram pradhan Chunaram Baske said every day, around seven youths distribute food among the needy and also encourage them to abide by the sanitation protocols.
Expressing her gratitude to the NSS, a 36-year-old labourer said, “We hope the NSS will continue with the supply of meals because there’s no scope of resuming the building construction work if the lockdown is extended.”
Prashant Kumar Mishra, the 20-year-old BCA student at KU, said they are keen on continuing with the initiative in the loaclity for more than 40 days, but with a few government agencies serving meals in that area, they are now planning to shift elsewhere.