FOOD SECURITY

During lockdown, two indviduals identified and fulfilled the varied needs of a community of workers near HSR Layout. Can Bengaluru evolve a model to support such communities locally, they ask.

When a couple of residents in a Yelahanka apartment community sought fellow residents’ help to feed migrant workers, the response was overwhelming.

The State had no plan to combat hunger. Authorities capable of verifying voter identity cards in every slum and ghetto in the City, failed to even gauge the scale of food insecurity triggered by the lockdown. The BBMP gave out only 68,000 ration kits whereas NGOs took up a bulk of the task of feeding the hungry. Nobody knows how many went hungry.

Since the lockdown began, Vasanth Nagar RWA developed a system to procure, pack and supply groceries to those in need. They have distributed 1200 grocery bags so far.

About two weeks ago, BBMP officials surveyed around 1000 migrant workers stranded in Mahadevapura and Doddagubbi. But they have since been unresponsive as workers desperately wait for food.

Domestic workers who aren’t welcome to work anymore, cab drivers and street vendors who can’t go out – informal workers in the city are a frustrated lot as they have no work or wages anymore. Many are unable to meet basic expenses for food and rent.

Authorities have stubbornly refused to acknowledge the number of migrant workers in Bengaluru. Despite multiple surveys of workers, food supply has been erratic. Even when food is distributed, it could be unfit for consumption.

‘WithBengaluru’, a collective of individuals and organisations, has distributed over 11,000 ration kits to vulnerable people in Bengaluru during the lockdown. They have now asked the Chief Minister to take a specific set of measures, so as to tackle the food crisis.

Citizen Matters and Wipro Foundation are jointly conducting a survey to collect data on the services available to vulnerable communities during the lockdown. Read on to find the survey form and more details.

As several migrant workers were left without subsistence following the lockdown, three residents of Sadashivanagar went around to identify them, pool resources and then distribute rations.

The COVID-19 lockdown has had severe impacts on the lives of Bengalureans. Hence, before deciding on the lockdown exit strategy, the state government should be transparent about its rationale and should involve various stakeholders.

In an emergency like the present, the state should ensure that the poor — estimated to be around 20 lakh in Bengaluru — have access to its public distribution system. Interestingly, the Food and Civil Supplies Department says there are only 16 lakh ration cards in the city. This, while there is enough to feed all for 15 months, say experts.