india

Updated: Apr 24, 2020 16:23 IST

While Human Resources Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank is busy encouraging online education so that academics of students doesn’t suffer during the ongoing lockdown, his daughter Aarushi is coordinating a voluntary face mask making drive.

National convener of Sparsh Ganga drive, a pro-Ganga conservation campaign, Aarushi Pokhriyal is herself stitching homemade face masks and coordinating with hundreds of Sparsh Ganga female members and activists in this drive.

Citing immense demand for face masks, Aarushi said that for movement in public, masks are mandatory “so we need to spike up homemade face masks on a large scale”.

Already womenfolk across the district have made 11,000 face masks which are being provided to police, sanitation and even army personnel.

Face masks being made by women volunteers. ( HT photo )

While stitching a cotton cloth mask herself at her Delhi residence, Aarushi said that “We are staying at home, at least we can contribute directly in the fight against Covid-19 by providing people face masks.”

Rita Chamoli, Haridwar district coordinator of Sparsh Ganga drive, said that more than a hundred volunteers have been making face masks for the past ten days to contribute to the nation’s fight against the epidemic.

Citing difficulty in the procurement of raw clothing material, Rita said that if the government or local administration provides some relaxation in this aspect, their women volunteers can double up the facemask production.

Mahakumbh Mela police force in charge, Janmejay Khanduri, who was recently handed over a thousand face masks by these women activists, lauded their concern saying, “This motivates every personnel involved in anti-Covid operations directly or indirectly.”

Patanjali Yogpeeth general secretary, Acharya Balkrishan has also lauded the self volunteerism shown by Sparsh Ganga women activists assuring of cooperation to them in making face masks on a mass scale as soon as waivers are granted from the state government.

“Fight against Covid-19 is long so we need to wear face masks on a routine basis. If we are provided raw material, we can expand our campaign across the state,” said Manu Rawat, a volunteer who is making masks on a daily basis.