Away from home, Covid warriors keep spirits up

GUWAHATI: While thousands of migrants rushed home either single or with their families as sources of livelihood started drying up, a large section of youths from Assam continued to stay put where they are and doing their bit in the nation's war against the virus.
Some of them are rendering services as health staff in hospitals treating Covid-19 patients in north India and others are relentlessly stitching PPE kits down south.
Sunia Gohain, a girl in her early twenties, who hails from a village in the easternmost district of Tinsukia, has found a way of earning livelihood with the help of DDU-GKY (Deen Dayal Upadhaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana) training from Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission conducted by the state government. Sunia was trained as an industrial sewing machine operator which helped her get a job in an industrial unit in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu.
Her family was going through hardship when their father, the only bread earner of the family, died. Her mother, with her two children, Sunia and her brother, somehow managed to keep the kitchen fires burning. Sunia could study only up to Class IX.
"The factory was producing world class garments for export before the lockdown was announced. During the lockdown, like many other industries, regular operations were stopped and the factory started producing PPE kits for health workers. We are all stitching PPE kits now," said Sunia from Tirupur.
She added that she felt she should continue with her work as it would save lives. Other workers started making quick preparations to return home, but she stayed back.
Ayesha Siddika, another young girl from Suparikuti, a small village under Agomoni Block of Dhubri district in western Assam, dropped her plans to come home in order to join the battle against the virus. She was previously trained as General Duty Assistant (GDA) under DDU-GKY programme and is presently engaged in a hospital in Noida as a GDA. "Ayesha decided to render her service for the well-being of mankind even while risking her own life. We salute her bravery and tenacity. Ayesha has become one of the inspirations for all youngsters. She is a real warrior," said Amrit K Borah, chief operating officer (skills) at Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission.
Like Sunia and Ayesha, there are hundreds of youths who have been trained under DDU-GKY and are working across 28 states in the country. Nine youths are working overseas during the lockdown.