Purulia Self-Help Group keeps Sabar community safe from starvation
Kolkata: A Self Help Group in Purulia is constantly keeping a two-pronged tab on the Sabar community to ensure that they do not starve and no outsider can enter their village.
The Sabar community is the poorest of the poor in the district and constant awareness drives are on to ensure that they maintain physical distancing and wash their hands regularly with sanitisers. The hand tube wells and wells are been disinfected constantly in Panipathar and Kenda Gram Panchayat areas.
Sandhya Tudu, minister of state for Backward Classes Welfare department visited the Panipathar Junior High School under Manbazar Assembly constituency on Monday and oversaw the manufacture of hand sanitisers and encouraged the members of the SHGs.
Distilled water is being manufactured by Ashok Kumar Mahato, a research scholar in Chemistry following the guideline of WHO. The hand sanitiser contains Ethanol 80 per cent, Glycerol 1.45 per cent and Hydrogen Peroxide 0.125 per cent along with Eucalyptus oil. Mahato is assisted by Himangshu Kuiry, Prabir Mahato and Jagannath Mahato all research scholars in Chemistry. The hand sanitiser under the brand name Kalyanneswari is being sold at the local market from Sunday and the price has been fixed by the district magistrate Rahul Majumdar. A 100 ml hand sanitiser bottle will cost Rs 75.
The SHG is working in seven villages which are exclusively dominated by the Sabar community. They are Bangthupi, Balakdihi, Hariharpur, Kenda, Moiradih (2) and Romaigirih.
The food kit that is being distributed among the people of the Sabar community contains 3 kg rice, 1 kg potato, biscuits and soaps. Sukumar Baidya, project director, District Rural Development Cell is constantly monitoring the food distribution and awareness campaigns.
Sabitri Mahato, leader of the SHG said there is a demand for hand sanitisers. She also said that volunteers have been engaged to launch an awareness campaign in Sabar community. They also check the stock of rice and other commodities and refill is sent immediately if the stock is about to get exhausted.
A senior official of Paschimanchal Unnayan Affairs department said if one month's ration is handed over to the members of the Sabar community, they will sell rice and other items to consume locally made alcohol. It is mainly because of this, volunteers are sent regularly to their houses to check the stock. The Sahish and the Kalindi communities where most of the members are daily wage earners are being looked after properly too.
