In these difficult times, NEWS has been stretching its resources to join the battle against COVID 19
NEWS has promoted a Farmers Producer Company in Indian Sundarbans named Badabon Farmers Producer Company Limited (BFPCL) under the brand name ‘Badabon Harvest’ (https://badabonharvest.bio/) They are engaged in the protection of mangroves and form an integral part of the value chain . This Company has already done over 245 home deliveries in Kolkata, where more than 90% are senior citizens, mostly staying singly or in couples. Farmers from Patharpratima, Kakdwip, Kultali, Canning & Gosaba Blocks of South 24 Parganas district are linked with this initiative. Vegetables are being supplied to a community kitchen from where poor and daily wage earners are getting food during the lock down period.
In coordination with Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, intensive awareness campaigns were undertaken by NEWS in different villages of Kakdwip and Gosaba Blocks of South 24 Parganas district (West Bengal). Focus was mainly on spreading awareness about the crucial aspects like prevention, maintaining hygiene, frequent handwashing, social distancing and isolation at tubewell pumps, grocery stores, ‘haat’ & rural markets .
The Water Users Associations of different blocks of Sundarban, developed and guided by NEWS, under the WBADMI Project (Govt. of West Bengal) also contributed in a meaningful way. The Purba Surendranagar Water Users Association in the Patharpratima Block of South 24 Parganas, launched an awareness campaign on April 9 to disseminate information about how to prevent the spread of the corona virus . Masks and hand sanitizers were also distributed to the community on this day. Not just this , the Association along with its Fisheries Interest Group harvested fish from its water retention structures and 15 kgs of fish were sold at very cheap rates to the local community on April 10. In a similar incident , the Amtali Paschim Water Users Association in the Gosaba Block also harvested and sold their fish at very cheap rates to the local community there. They have plans to do it more often during the lockdown period.
Being a part of the State Inter Agency Group on Disaster Management, regular virtual meetings on various issues like response activation, livelihood crisis etc are discussed and policy formulations are underway. NEWS is part of that WA group, 24 x 7 and contributing towards it.