Noida NGO comes forth to help people observe Ramzan, celebrate Eid

<p style="font-weight: 400;">Amid the nationwide lockdown and muted Eid celebrations across the country this year, the Democratic Outreach for Social Transformation (Dost), a non-governmental organization (NGO) operating in Noida, came forth to help several migrant families observe their Ramzan fasts for a month.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Even as panic and uncertainty rose, the NGO, under the aegis of BJP’s national spokesperson for economic affairs Gopal Krishna Agarwal, has been distributing cooked food as well as dry ration to these families, amid the rise in the number of coronavirus cases. In India, Eid was celebrated on May 25</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Dost set up three community kitchens, first of which came into operation on March 28 just after the lockdown was imposed, Agarwal said. The Noida-based NGO rolled out over 4 lakh rotis for the migrant laborers and the poor residing in that area. It has distributed more than 2 lakh meal packets for over 60 days.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Agarwal said that 40,000 food packets have also been collected from the residential societies across the township.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The NGO has also set up helplines to ensure that food is available at any time of the day. It has also been helping families seeking medical emergencies too.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“We have been running about three kitchens to feed migrants and other need people who are in the Noida area. We provided round-the-clock calling facilities to ensure that none faced any problem. We have received calls asking for food even late in the evening and we have managed to provide them with food,” Agarwal told IN.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The NGO has managed to provide job opportunities to many people, including three from the transgender community.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Agarwal said that with the easing of the nationwide lockdown, Dost will stop operating the kitchens. “However, as and when people need support of any kind, be it medical or food, we will provide,” he said.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The NGO, beside running the kitchens, has also been producing face covers.</p>.