Hyderabad: A youth organisation in the Old City has been feeding daily-wage workers one meal a day in the Rethibowli area since November 21. These men were working in function halls, construction sites or doing odd jobs. The jobs have dried up as there is no money to pay the workers in the wake of the current currency crisis. With no money to even buy food, they have been begging in the streets. They are mainly from the interiors of Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh and some are from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Mr Syed Naseer Ahmed, a member of the organisation, said, “Till Moharram they survived as food was being distributed daily. But after that they had no food to eat and they are not getting their daily wages. They came into the streets and we 40 members have come together and are trying to help them.” Since the group could not get money from donors who have no cash after old notes were demonitised and new ones are in short supply, they asked for donations in the form of rice bags, dal, oil, salt and chilli powder, with which to cook a meal.
Food grains were donated in abundance; and with videos of their charity work going viral, more and more donations are coming in. “Whenever we find that there is a shortage of grains we call on our friends who willingly come forward to help. Today is the thirteenth day and we have been able to feed 700 people,” said Mohammed Aslam, also a member of this generous group.
Asked how long they could continue, Mr Ahmed said, “The situation is critical and it will be so for 50 days as stated by the government. We will wait and watch. If the situation improves and there is some work coming in, then we can stop. Till then we will continue to help them.”
