OLD GOA
It was a month ago when the second Covid wave was at its peak that the Revolutionary Goans (RG) decided to provide free breakfast to relatives of Covid patients at GMC hospital, who had found it difficult to get the meal considering their financial plight or otherwise.
Initially, RG decided to start providing only breakfast outside the GMC hospital but later extended the services at South Goa District Hospital (SGDH) and also at many primary health centres (PHCs).
Also, as realisation dawned that relatives of patients were also finding it difficult to get dinner in the GMC, RG stepped in and started providing free dinner as well.
Further, the number of packets for both breakfast and dinner, which initially started at 200, swelled to around 1,000 as the demand grew.
“When we came to know about the plight faced by relatives of poor patients in the GMC in getting breakfast, we decided to do something to help,” said RG President Viresh Borkar, speaking exclusively to The Goan on the initiative.
“So, initially we started to provide free breakfast along with a bottle of water to relatives of patients outside the GMC. First, we started with 200 packets but as days passed by, the demand grew and we increased the number of packets to 1,000. Now, as the number of patients have decreased, the number of packets has been reduced to 500,” Borkar said.
“Around 10 days after having started the breakfast service, we came to know that relatives of patients were also finding difficulty in getting dinner. That time, we started providing dinner as well and since then, we provide breakfast and dinner packets along with water bottles,” he added.
Asked what they do when their packets get over and people still turn up, Borkar said they do not let them go empty-handed.
“We make sure that arrangement is made so that the person is provided with breakfast or dinner,” he informed.
To another query on the duration of the services, Borkar said they have decided to continue it till the end of the curfew (June 14).
“However, if the curfew is extended, we will also extend the services as required,” he said.
Commenting on the financial aspect, Borkar said some people sponsor breakfast or dinner on occasions like their birthdays, anniversaries.
“Further, some people provide groceries like oil, rice bags, vegetables and the food is prepared by families of RG members. It is purely home-made food,” he said.
He added that the entire initiative is a team effort with RG members working in the foreground as well as in the background to make the initiative a success.
‘Initiative nothing to do with RG’s political ambitions’
OLD GOA
Stating that their services to provide free breakfast and dinner have been for the greater cause of humanity, Revolutionary Goans (RG) President Viresh Borkar said there is no political angle to their initiative.
“We are not doing it to gain political mileage but for the greater cause of humanity. If we had done it for political mileage, we would have provided the services only to Goans and not to others,” Borkar opined.
“Even though RG is seen as a pro-Goan organisation, we made sure that anybody who was approaching us for breakfast or dinner was provided with the same. We did not differentiate based on Goan or non-Goan, which should explain that this initiative has nothing to do with the political ambitions of RG,” he reiterated.
