Covid-19: Rotaract family provides essential items

Ever since the national lockdown was announced by PM Narendra Modi to break the chain of COVID-19 pandemic, Rtn Ajit Paul Singh Naphrey, mentor and club in-charge, Rotaract Club of Austin Institutes, Jalandhar, RID 3070, along with his two sons — Rtrs Ranjit Singh and Jasjit Singh — wake up early in the morning to join a group of volunteers and social workers to deliver vegetables and other essential commodities to houses at Rupnagar.

With all the Rotaractors at the diploma institute having gone home after it was shut down till further notice, its Director Naphrey and his sons are not twiddling their thumbs at their residence in Rupnagar near ­Chandigarh. “We are part of a large teams of volunteers who help the district administration and local police in enforcing the curfew. While poor families and homeless people are given essential items for free, those who can pay are provided the necessities at affordable cost. Rupnagar SP (­headquarters) Sardar Jagjit Singh ­Jallah is motivating us with support and logistics,” said Naphrey, a member of RC Jalandhar Civil Lines.

There is no shortage of money and resources to meet the needs of affected families, with many donors and Rotarians having pitched in.

So far, he has himself donated ₹11,000 and “there is no shortage of money and resources to meet the needs of affected families, with many donors and Rotarians having pitched in,” he said.

Early wake-up call

In a day, this volunteer group distributes more than 1,000 ready-to-eat food packets in and around Rupnagar to the needy hit hard by the lockdown. During January when the virus outbreak was at its nascent stage, these Rotaractors distributed over 1,600 surgical masks to the public including unskilled workers, retailers and pavement vendors. “Eighteen Rotaractors took part in the distribution of face masks and we went about advising people to wash their hands frequently with sanitisers and adopt safeguards against the pandemic,” said Deepika Sharma, Club Trainer and the institute’s administrator.

A blood donation camp for ­Rotaractors was held with the ­support of Police Commissioner Sardar ­Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, and 26 units of blood collected. Deepika Sharma, Mahadaan Coordinator of RID 3070, devised and successfully implemented notable projects in Jalandhar last year, said Naphrey.