The RSS has deployed the highest number of over one lakh ‘swayamsewaks’ in Kerala for “serving” those facing distress on account of coronavirus. Over all, the organisation has sent out a total of over 2 lakh of its workers — of which around 2,000 are doctors and medical students — across the country .

According to the Nagpur-based organisation, a total of 25,61,391 people who are affected in one way or the other since the outbreak of the pandemic were assisted by 2,04,190 RSS workers across the country in 25,924 places.

The RSS “inspired” doctors and medical students under the banner of ‘National Medicos Organisation’ have been working “in around 110 places in the country” including hotspots, said NMO’s National General Secretary, Dr Yogender Malik. He said they are “inspired” by the RSS and willing to be the ‘frontline warrior’ in the crisis.

Malik said 500 Doctors have been moved to 18 States in the country “ who are running helpline, arranging Personal Protection Equipments , facial mask, blood camps , creating medical awareness, cleanliness and other related jobs”. Talking to Pioneer, he said in total Doctors and medical students in service in the places affected by the pandemic are 2000 and “ they are working in coordination with state governments and local administration” .

Another doctor Rajiv Mittal, looking after the Delhi Rs PrantRs , said in the national Capital the NMO has put 80 doctors to supplement governments efforts to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

Beside Doctors and medical students, the RSS ‘Swayemsevaks’ are spread over 25 states according to the RSS zone-wise division of the country. The states include Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka in south to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh to Jammu and Kashmir in the North and Maharashtra and Gujarat in the west to Bengal, Assam and Tripura in East and the North-East.

“ The number of 204, 190 RSS workers is of April 09 and it would swell further by the end of the month,” said Rajiv Tuli, in-charge, Delhi RSS.

Asked whether RSS workers were also managing the lockdown , Tuli said “Yes, it is with the consent of the state governments and local administrations as we have our volunteers in the field.”

Some eyebrows were raised recently over RSS workers’ engagements in “assisting’ the three-week lockdown in the country.

The RSS workers are involved , among other tasks, in providing face-masks, sanitisers and cleaning of hospitals and isolation centres, said RSS leaders. “The workers have also been asked to create awareness about social distancing and other preventive measures,” they said. Besides, providing food to migrant and daily wagers and supporting low income families without government supplies with essential groceries are among the services rendered by the RSS.

The RSS maintained that its workers have also been providing “food and safety gear” to police and medical personnel, forming the frontline of the anti-corona battle.

With the onset of the pandemic, the RSS has cancelled more than 60,000 of its ‘shakhas’ and “moved many of them online”.

Interestingly, the RSS deployment is massive in Kerala where 1,04,500 of its workers have been placed in 6000 places. They have attended to around 30,00,00 people in the state till date. In comparison, the other states including the highest populated Uttar Pradesh and the most coronavirus-affected state of Maharashtra stand nowhere near Kerala in the number of presence of ‘Swayemsevaks’.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Braj area has 8977 workers, Kanpur 7827, Avadh region 3273 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home constituency Varanasi has 4639 ‘Swayamsevaks’ to provide civic help.

In Maharashtra, the RSS has sent 136 workers in Konkan, 290 in Vidharbh, 250 in west Maharashtra and and 588 swayemsevaks in Devgiri.