Silchar; August 19th 2021: During this unprecedented pandemic outbreak, when the whole of Barak valley was gasping for some helping aid to streamline the healthcare sector and provide for the basic needs of the underprivileged class, ‘Niswarth Seva Barak’ (NSB), an association of NIT Silchar Alumni has been incredibly active.
When the pandemic hit the valley there was an immediate need for a second PCR lab to be operational at Silchar Medical College to cater to a population of 47,91,390 approximately. Niswarth Sevak’s with support from SMCH officials identified the urgent infrastructure need & helped through fast-track fundraising of Rs. 1,160,665, which helped in procurement & installation of equipment like AC units, Computers, Printers, UPS, Generator Sets in record time, making the 2nd PCR lab completely ready and available for public use. As per the SMC authorities, this helped them perform 1500-2000 tests per day, which was an imminent need during the second wave peak.
Along with caring for the needs of healthcare systems, the Niswarth sevaks has also identified a very normal but completely unnoticed problem, which needed top most priority. As the Covid-19 pandemic led to stringent lockdowns and other restrictions, the family of sex workers were left in the lurch and their livelihoods came to a standstill. Niswarth sevak’s spread across the globe identified this overlooked section and huddled along with committed local sevak’s on the ground in organising daily ration for 70 such families residing in the red light area of Silchar along with mask, soap and sanitizer to help them sustain for a month.
This initiative had set an example for other support groups to take note of the plight of this neglected section of people and help provide support to them.
NSB was formed by a group of friends of NIT Silchar, who are staying at different times zones, but their sense of commitment is an unstoppable force working together to uplift the region and be the front liners when it comes to mitigating the difficulties being faced by the valley.
When Deb, Guru, Subhrojyoti and Pranab residing in foreign land heard about the horrid stories of the disaster caused by the second wave in their hometown, they immediately connected with other friends Arindam, Biswajit, Samik, Supriyo and Rajat staying in India to start the fight against Covid. Their initiatives and the spirit of unconditional seva for the people of the valley has definitely saved many lives and provided for many on time.
Call it altruism, philanthropy, charity, or community service, it’s beyond doubt that giving back to society is a deeply enriching experience as it is all about who you’ve lifted up, and who you’ve made better. The efforts of NSB were consolidated and funded at lightning speed, just because those who once grew up in the Valley committed to giving something back to it.
The team is now planning to work with local NGOs to reach out to remote parts of the villages and help get as many people vaccinated as possible. The team will help elderly (Senior Citizens) people with vaccination booking and commute to vaccination centres. NSB will be further expanding its vision to aid local administration and NGOs in directing any help and support to ease the impact of the pandemic and any future health crisis.
