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Khalsa Aid, JKSA reach out to students from J&K

NIBEDITA SAHA. Dated: 9/17/2019 11:47:09 AM

NEW DELHI, Sep 16: Since August 5, it has been more than a month that Kashmir is under total communication lockdown. Though in recent past few landline numbers have been restored, still Kashmiri people are unable to contact their families back home.
Especially the Kashmiri students living in different parts of India are facing huge financial crisis. Students from different universities are running out of money. Not being able to connect to their families has put the students in a major helpless situation.
In Delhi, recently, the J&K Students Association in collaboration with Khalsa Aid organised a stock distribution drive for Kashmiri students.
J&K Students Association is a three-year-old organisation set up by Kashmiri students to work for the safety and security of Kashmiri students living outside the valley.
The spokesperson of J&K Students Association, Nasir Khuehami, told me that “I am receiving calls from different parts of India who are facing problems to meet their basic amenities such as groceries, basic medicine, college fees etc.”
“We collaborated with Khalsa Aid since we did not have enough resources to help and reach every student solely. Students are calling from all over India. I receive more than 500 calls in a day,” added Nasir.
“This is a very good initiative. We were running out of the groceries in the last month. I am glad that I don’t have to worry at least for a few days from now,” said a mother-of-two who received stock from Khalsa Aid.
Almost 40 students came to take stock help from different parts of Delhi. A 20-year-old told me that “he hasn’t eaten two times a day properly due to financial crisis as he doesn’t know when next he’ll receive money from home.”
Since the abrogation of Article 370, Kashmir valley got disconnected from the rest of the world. Students studying in different parts of India have lost connection with their respective families.
Nasir talked about the communication blackout in the valley said, “Usually students receive money from home in the first week of the month but this time they could not receive any due to communication lockdown since 5 August.”
Nasir further added, “We try to reach each and every student who calls us. Money and groceries are the two major problems for the students; specifically, those are not living in college hostels. Students don’t have an adequate amount to meet their daily needs.”
Khalsa Aid is helping in the stock distribution part to J&K Students Association. Delhi coordinator of Khalsa Aid, Kuldeep Singh expressed his views said, “We received the request from Kashmir students living in Delhi that they are facing a huge crisis of food and basic stock due to total communication blackout in the valley.”
Khalsa Aid, which is a dedicated organisation working for disaster management came forward to help Kashmiri students across the country.
“Today we have distributed the stock among 40 students nearly. We also have done the same in Chandigarh and Dehradun. In future also we would like to help students who are facing problems,” said Singh.
“Students are facing problems in meeting their basics and have been harassed for college fees,” informed Nasir.
J&K Kashmir Students Association also helps students financially. It receives money through public donation. “We have received donations in two phases, Rs 1,88000 and Rs 92000 respectively. We used the donation amount to facilitate financial help to the students,” Nasir.
J&K Students Association in collaboration with Khalsa Aid is going to hold another stock distribution drive in Delhi very soon.