Empowered Group asks NGOs to depute volunteers and caregivers

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 5

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have been requested by the government to assist in identifying hotspots and depute volunteers to deliver services to the elderly, persons with disabilities, children and transgender persons amid the coronavirus outbreak.

In a detailed interaction with 40 prominent groups and communication with 92,000 NGOs/CSOs working in the country, the Empowered Group, headed by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, and registered with it, appealed to those engaged social work to also spread awareness about social distancing, isolation, and combating stigma. It also urged them to provide shelter to homeless, daily wage workers, and poor urban families; set up community kitchens for migrants; services, an official release said on Sunday.

The CEO has written to all Chief Secretaries urging them to instruct the local administrations at the district level to utilise the physical and human resources made available by NGOs and CSOs.

Empowered Group, tasked to address issues pertaining to the identification of problems, effective solutions and formulation of plans with three groups of stakeholders, including International Organisations and Industry Associations, held six meetings with these groups between March 30 and April 3, the release said.