IIT alumni help for casual workers, 'safai dadas'
The Times of India (July 2, 2020)
KOLKATA: Help is pouring in for the 'safai dadas' and casual workers of IIT Kharagpur, all thanks to the alumni. The financial assistance, however, is not limited to mess workers and 'safai dadas' at the hostels or halls of residence but also for security guards, rickshaw pullers, Toto drivers and domestic helps, for whom the campus is the only source of livelihood.
It took a few days to raise Rs 8 crore by the alumni-driven IIT Foundation, in consultations with the institute. The first installment of Rs 2.5 crore has already reached the institute and it is being disbursed in a novel way. The initiative was started by alumnus and former CEO and chairman of Infogroup Vinod Gupta.
An amount of Rs 3,000 has been deposited in the bank accounts of the 1,200 casual outsourced employees like mess and sanitation workers. More than 10,000 others, connected with the "IIT-ecosystem", are being given monthly ration. The money will keep coming to their accounts every alternate month till December, while the ration is monthly. (Read More)