During the lockdown period, Manuski received support from individuals, Action Aid (AA), International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), and Buddhist Relief Fund (BRF) and also through CSR project and networking organizations. Along with ration kits and Food packets Manuski also received Medicine Arsenic Album 30, Sanitary Pads.
Manuski distributed ration kits with the help of local DHRDs along with other parts of Pune and Pimpri –Chindwad and also covered rural areas Alandi Devachi, Shirur and Daund and Latur,etc. Along with Maharashtra, Mansuki also distributed ration kits at Karnataka, Bihar and Telangana with the help of Local DHRDs. Altogether Manuski reached 6355 families during lockdown period, which includes 5965 families in Maharashtra 100 families from Karnataka, 80 from Bihar and 120 families from Telangana State.
Adv. Priyadarshi Telang, former Director of Manuski approached various organizations, social networks as well as individuals for fund raising. Ex.Deputy Mayor Mr. Siddarth Dhende’s supported Manuski to get required permission from Police officials during the distribution process which helped in smoothening distribution process and also to resolve problems which had arisen during distribution. Ms, Prachi Salve, Resource Centre Coordinator of Manuski coordinated the overall relief distribution process with the help of local DHRDs, community leaders and volunteers. DHRDs and volunteers helped enormously in distribution process right from identifying needy families, as well as in ration kits packing and distribution process.
In the month of Mar 2020 and at the beginning of Apr 2020, when suddenly lockdown was imposed, with support of networking groups Manuski provided more than 700 Food packets to needy people. Volunteers from Dalit Adivasi Adhikar Andolan (DA3) assisted in distribution.
Yerwada zone under Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) where the Manuski office is located was under a containment zone from the month of Mar 2020. Therefore people residing in the area were unable to work even after lockdown was released. Most of the people residing in the settlement used to work as Fruit /Vegetable sellers, Maid Servant, Auto-Rickshaw drivers, Sanitation Workers and Labours,etc.
With the support from Action Aid, Manuski abled to reach most of the needy families focusing on women and daily wage labors in Yerwada, Pune. Alcoholism is a rampant issue in the community, many women are widowed and single in the community and they work as maid servants, sanitation workers or as a daily wage labor. The condition of the women is so deprived as few of them working as sex worker in red light area in Pune city. Our team of volunteers tried to reach out these women. Manuski supported Auto- Rickshaw Drivers, Daily wage laborers, Transgender and also extended support to Physically Challenged people in the community with the help of kits received from Action Aid.
The community supported with ration kits were Laman Tanda Vasti, Naik Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Yashwant Nagar, Navi Khadk, Jai Jawan Nagar, Balaji Nagar, Suraksha Nagar B.D.Kamgar Vasahat Ashok Nagar, Gandhi Nagar and Siddhart Nagar, Ramwadi, Nagar Road, Nagur Chawl, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Nana Peth, Pune.
Action Aid supported in two Phases (Total Kits received- 1575), in first Phase for 400 in month of April 2020 and in second phase for 1175 in month of July 2020. During the second phase, representatives from Vodafone CSR also visited Manuski and assisted in the distribution process.


Manuski relief work in Yerwada got covered by a local news channel.
In the months of June and Aug 2020, Manuski distributed 1325 packets of Arsenic Album 30, Homeopathy medicine which is used to increase the immunity power of community people during the Pandemic period. Mr. Kiran Kamble, Social Worker at Sasoon Hospital, donated medicinal kits to the Manuski and also guided about the process of taking tablets and its usage.
In month of Aug 2020 Manuski received packets of 100 Sanitary Pads from the forum volunteers group namely Padsquad and distributed them to community women from Laxmi Nagar, Yerwada, Pune. Moreover in month of Sept 2020 Manuski received 100 Face masks from networking organisations and distributed them to majorly to the Police official working Yerwada region.
With the support of DA3 network Manuski reached 681 families in various localities at Pune which included Dapodi, Gurav Pimple, Pimpri, Akurdi, Devachi Alandi, Vishrantwadi, Talawade, Khuelwadi, Chikhali,etc. We tried to reach most of the needy families which included Sanitation works, Daily wage Labor, Single and widow women, mail servants, senior citizens etc.
Manuski also received ration kits from the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project which helped to reach 300 families residing at Bhat Nagar-Pimpri, Panmala -Singhagad road and Dhanori. Most of them were working as Construction Labour, Daily wage worker Maid servant and widow women and Sanitation workers, etc.
The situation of DeNotifed Tribe (DNT) became vulnerable due to outbreak of Covid-19. Most of the people from the community were working as Daily Wage Labor, Construction Labor, Brick kiln Labour, Sugar Cane Labor, Fishing, few used to sale balloons, flowers at road side. Some of them were working as labor at nearby MIDC and few are beggars. These people are majorly from Vadar community. Their economic situation effected drastically during lockdown period as source of livelihood suddenly disrupted. The situation of single women became vulnerable due to lack of income source. Most of the houses are kutcha and small huts. Few people have ration cards but as they are not linked online with Aadhar, hence they are unable to get ration.
With the supported provided by INEB and BRF, Manuski extended support to 400 families most of them from the rural areas in Maharashtra. With the help of INEB Manuski supported 150 families from DNT community Daund and 150 families at Kashewadi-Pune city and with the aid from BRF, Manuski succeed to reach 100 families from DNT community at Shirur.
Respond to Covid 19 – Follow up with Govt. Authorities
During the Covid 19 pandemic, Sanitation workers faced lots of difficulties while working. Manuski team did case study on Sanitation workers and also encouraged fellows to work with them. To resolve various issues faced by them Manuski had a dialogue over phone with Dy Commissioner Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for payments of Contract Conservancy worker during the time of Pandemic, and providing safety equipment’s for all workers. As there was no progress on it, the issue was raised in media dated 31st Mar 2020 and then payments were released.
During Covid 19 pandemic, Manuski team along with fellows tried to address the challenging situation by reaching out Dalit and Adivsis community with relief packages. Our fellows in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar and Telangan altogether reached 1084 families and provided them ration kits with the help of an individuals and networking organisations. Moreover our fellow from Telangana, Mr. Rahul abled to reach 90 Street Venders and created awareness about SVANidhi Yojana launched by Prime Minister (PM) which provided Rs.10, 000 (Ten thousand rupees) loan for the Street Vendors, those who are affected during the lockdown under Athma Nirbhar Bharath Abhiya. With his consistent efforts, total amount of Rs.9, 00,000.00 (Rs.Nine Lakhs) successfully accessed by Street vender from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe community.
During lockdown period Manuski conducted session with fellows about strategies to work on Monitoring Public Distribution System (PDS) and intervention required to deal with issue of Migrant labour, Domestic Violence, issues of Sanitation workers, etc. Accordingly the fellows initiated work and monitored PDS system in their respective areas. With DHRDs consistent meetings with govt. official and follow up with PDS shops, more than 281 families received ration from PDS and 24 individuals avail opportunities to work under MGNREGA.
Annex – I
Details of Families covered by Manuski with the help of Networking organization