Amid lockdown, starvation became as substantially threat as Covid-19 for everyday wagers. Concerned about the plight of her household who migrated to their native location through the lockdown, 18-year-old Pallavi Wavhale saved not only hers but seven other households in her village from starving.
After her household migrated to their native areas in Parbhani district, they have been denied ration, as the address on their ration card was of Kalwa, Thane Thanks to her instruction as a youth facilitator with NGO SNEHA (Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action) she reached out to the officials and ensured ration provide for her and seven other households.
Pallavi’s household hails from Pohetakali village in Parbhani district of Marathwada area. After losing their livelihood in Kalwa, Thane district, her household returned to their native location in April. However, they have been left in the lurch following getting denied ration on their orange ration card with a Kalwa address.
“In April, my family informed me about how they are struggling to get ration and food amid lockdown. They had a very difficult time. In September I attended a talk by Gorakh Avhad of Rationing Kruti Samiti through SNEHA. That is when I got to know, that we can avail ration anywhere on ration card with any address in the country. I shared my parent’s plight with Mr Avhad and he suggested I must approach the rationing officer. He even offered to help if the rationing officer in Pathri tehsil still disagrees to give ration to my parents. I approached the rationing officer and informed him about the government scheme, initially he was reluctant but later he agreed to give ration to my family.”
By September the Wavhale household began receiving ration on the very same ration card. However, Pallavi learnt that much more households in the village migrated through the lockdown and have been struggling to get ration.
Seeing other households equally in distress due to lack of enough ration, Pallavi wrote to the regional authorities and ensured that other individuals get ration also. “At SNEHA, we are taught how to take civic actions, how to approach local government authorities, how to write to them etc. This training helps me save my own and a few other families,” stated Pallavi.
Pallavi was also instrumental in receiving meals for lots of everyday wagers who have been stuck in Mumbai — jobless and without the need of any sources in Kalwa’s Jai Bhim Nagar when the lockdown was 1st imposed. She contacted the regional corporator looking for aid for these stuck in lockdown.
Anjali Pore, Programme Coordinator, Empowerment, Health and Sexuality of Adolescents (EHSAS), Kalwa, stated, “The youth need proper guidance and direction. At SNEHA, in our EHSAS Programme, we conduct capacity building training programmes and workshops regularly where we focus on topics like how public governance systems work, the processes, the Constitution and their rights and responsibilities. This helps youth to understand their rights and, in our experience, this enables them to fight for their and their community rights”.