The scope of starvation during COVID-19 lock-down is worse than we thought

Thousands of people in remote rural villages of Maharashtra, India, are on the verge of starvation as a result of the COVID-19 lock-down, a new study on the issue has found. A GPM survey of 80,000 residents of the taluka/district of Mokhada found 2,250 families – 12.5% of the population – are living in immediate dire threat of starvation due to the conditions of lock-down. This is primarily a result of extended periods of having no livelihood due to being lock-down.

The study was conducted by GPM staff over a ten-day period in May among farmers in the Mokhada region, most of whom are from the Katkari tribe. 

Following the alarming findings of the survey, GPM reached out to several foundations and corporations to establish partnership initiatives to address this urgent life-threatening situation. As a result, the following responses have been initiated: 

• Providing basic supplies. Sir Ness Wadia Foundation supplied GPM with basic groceries and supplies for an initial 350 families – such as lentils, rice, beans, pules, flour, jaggery, and oil—which GPM has been distributing.

• Adopting families. JM Financials has agreed to adopt an initial 50 families from the list of needy families in villages surveyed by GPM, covering five village hamlets, and is directly providing them with their needs. The Goonj Foundation has also adopted an initial pilot of 10 families and is providing for them directly. 

• Protecting from COVID-19. The Godrej Group has provided 18,000 bars of soap which has been distributed, along with face masks that the GPM women’s empowerment collective has produced. 

This ongoing emergency COVID-19 relief project has been made possible thanks to the generous support from the following friends: 

• The Good People Fund
• Righteous Crowd
• Estelle Friedman Gervis Charitable Foundation
• OLAM
• Sundara Fund
• And other generous anonymous sources

And the support of so many donors and friends who simply want to alleviate the suffering of those most vulnerable during the pandemic.

You can read more about our COVID-19 emergency relief work HERE