COVID19, now being dealt with under Disaster Management & Epidemic Acts in the Country is a Unique disaster with Lock-downs and its prolonged nature. it has bought Unique challenges of its own and so has it opened new avenues for Collaborative Solutions. One such Initiative has been taken in Ganjam District of Odisha where 2 IAS officers have successfully Collaborated with NGOs & Civil Society to extend a helping hand to people in Need.

Chakravarti Singh Rathore & Siddharth Shankar Swain, both IAS officers of 2014 batch currently serving as Commissioner, BeMC & PD, DRDA, Ganjam respectively collaborated with all willing Donors, NGOs & Civil Society Members to provide Nutritional Support to families in Need with a MEAL packet consisting roughly of 5kgs Rice, 1kg Pulses, 1/2 litre Oil, Spices, salt & 250gm Soyabean/ locally available Supplement. it started off under the aegis of Noble Cause in Berhampur Municipal Corporation Region & MEAL(Making Essential Items Available in Lockdown) in all Rural areas & NACs of Ganjam.

The Initiative which started off as a Small Crowdfunding Exercise has today provided a helping Hand to more than 42500 Families and touching the Lives of roughly 2 Lakh People and is still going strong. Major Donors like Noble Cause, Berhampur which is the Umbrella Unit of civil society in Berhampur, PREM, YSD, Love the One have ensured its Volume while Individual Donors including Hon’ble MLAs, Government officials & Good Samaritans have ensured its Reach to the Last Mile.

While COVID19 has disrupted Supply Chains & Lives of People, Initiatives like these have ensured the Chain of Humanity & Compassion keeps on Rolling, making lives better, a little at a time.