Stuck in Guwahati, Pune-based social entrepreneur collects Rs 10 lakh for 1,000 families amid lockdown

The country-wide lockdown hit Amit Jain's long-cherished dream of a non-stop "backpack journey" from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Arunachal Pradesh to Mumbai.

"I had just completed my Arunachal tour and was about to buy a ticket for my next destination Nagaland. But due to the coronavirus fear Nagaland suddenly stopped issuing inner line permits, which is a must for outsiders. Sensing trouble ahead, I boarded a train and reached Guwahati on March 16. Days later, the lockdown was announced," said Amit, who is now stranded in his friend's house in Guwahati since the lockdown was clamped on March 24.

More than the pain he went through, the lockdown made him realise the agony of those stuck outside of their homes and whose income was hit hard. "That's when I decided to do something for those who lost their work, be it daily wagers, maids, rickshaw pullers, or construction workers. I immediately launched an online crowdfunding campaign in Milaap with a target to generate at least Rs. 10 lakh so that I can provide Rs. 1,000 to 1,000 families. Milaap also did not charge anything for the campaign. Response from people was so good that I managed to achieve the target within days," Jain, who runs Mitti Ke Rang, a social enterprise based in Pune told DH on Saturday. The enterprise helps widows and other disadvantaged sections in the society.

Amit identified the beneficiaries through friends and volunteers and wanted to transfer Rs. 1,000 each to 1,000 families. "But some of them told me that many people in rural areas in the Northeast still do not have bank accounts. So, I transferred the money to about 500 people and to some NGOs, who bought the essential items and delivered to another 500 people. They sent us the bills of the items procured for transparency. We managed to help such people in 29 states who lost their income source due to the lockdown and the fear of coronavirus," he said.

Jain, 29, who grew up in Bhusawal in Maharastra lost his father in childhood and saw his mother struggle very hard to manage the family. This encouraged him to do something for the widows and economically weaker sections. He formed Mitti Ke Rang, an NGO and collected books and clothes and distributed among the needy persons while working in a bank. He left his job in 2019 and converted the NGO into a social enterprise with a friend Saket Deshmukh as a co-founder. Mitti Ke Rang now helps the widows and small artisans who make paper bags, candles, or other handicraft items through e-commerce platforms like Amazon.

Still stuck in Guwahati, Amit has now set his target to generate another Rs. 10 lakh to help 1,000 families more. The campaign in Milaap has received Rs. 1,180,578 from 951 donors so far.