The coronavirus has impacted not only the people who are suffering from it but also those who have been left jobless or unemployed due to the self-quarantine precautionary measures taken by the government. In order to bring relief to the daily wage workers, the Producers Guild of India has set up a relief fund for those who will be most hit by the complete shutdown of the film, television show and web series shoot for the next 3 weeks.
A week since the Producers' Guild announced the setting up of a relief fund for the daily wage workers and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) promised to distribute groceries and other essentials, there has been little progress on the initiatives. The associations' best intentions have hit a roadblock with the state government imposing Section 144 from Monday.
Manish Goswami, vice president, Producers' Guild, said, "Not every daily wage worker has a bank account, so they would have to come and collect the money. At this point, an assembly of four to five people is not allowed, so we can neither gather [those in need] nor conduct meetings."
Producers Guild of India sets up Relief Fund for workers affected by production shutdown owing to the COVID-19 epidemic-Official Statement#SiddharthRoyKapur @kulmeetmakkar #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/OGARZbDWxl
— producersguildindia (@producers_guild) March 17, 2020
The association set up an account last Wednesday, encouraging industry folk to contribute to the fund. Soon, Farhan Akhtar, Sonam K Ahuja, and other stars urged everyone in the industry to do their bit. Ask him if the Guild has accumulated a handsome amount during the week, and Goswami said, "We have received verbal commitment from many, but since the production houses are shut, they have not been able to make the transactions. Hopefully, we will get clarity on March 31; then, the funds will start coming in and we can distribute them."
On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown. The move, though necessary, will further affect the daily wage workers.
Even as he relentlessly rallies behind the daily wage workers, Anubhav Sinha took the lead in distributing food grains to the needy. On Monday, the filmmaker took to Twitter and called for volunteers who can help him in distributing ration across the city. Actor Ronit Roy was one of the first to lend him support in the initiative.
(Source: Mid Day)
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