Young & Restless: How youth leaders are contributing in the fight against Covid-19

The second wave of Covid-19 has shaken the very core of our country. Nobody is left untouched from the impact of the virus – either people have themselves tested positive or their loved ones are suffering from the infection.

In both cases, getting adequate treatment is the biggest hustle today. The healthcare infrastructure is almost at the brink of collapse with the scarcity of ICU beds, oxygen cylinders and essential drugs. While patients are fighting a battle within, their relatives and friends are struggling to arrange medical facilities.

Amid these dark times, few people have come through like a ray of hope for thousands across the nation. Yes, I’m talking about certain young public leaders who are using their connections, resources, and social media presence to help people find guidance and essentials during this time of sheer health crisis.

Dilip Pandey, AAP MLA

Dilip Pandey has been working relentlessly over the past one month to help people in his constituency and otherwise too to get urgent medical attention. Several people across Delhi NCR reached out to the Timarpur MLA for help when they needed hospital beds or medical drugs like Remedisvir.

The AAP leader distributed food and sanitizers for the public and requested everyone on Twitter to follow Covid-19 protocols strictly to avoid further spread of the virus.

The Capital is under a six-day lockdown after cases suddenly shot up in the past week. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the lockdown which began from 10 PM on April 19 and will continue till 5 AM on April 26. He requested people to stay indoors and collectively help in curbing down the positivity rate of the pathogen.

People working closely with Pandey said the burden of patients is constantly increasing and things are getting out of control. But one cannot lose hope without trying their best.

Charu Pragya, BJP

Working in coordination with Bharatiya Janata Youth Morcha (BJYM), party leader Charu Pragya is on a roll since the number of Covid cases rose in the beginning of April. She told India Today that her 16-member team was on ground working tirelessly to help those in need. She also pointed how last year the challenge was merely to provide food and transportation but during Covid 2.0 – the bigger hustle is to provide medical attention through the infrastructure and institution that are already overburdened.

She further said her team had started helpline numbers for five regions including Delhi and Mumbai. The latter two are among the worst affected cities in the current times.

Pragya, a single mother, is using her social media presence to coordinate and connect various sources of help to those in need.

BV Srinivas, Congress

This 41-year old president of Indian Youth Congress is probably the most popular help aid on Twitter today. He is tagged in almost every other tweet that is demanding urgent help for someone in need of plasma donors, oxygen beds or other medicines. The man is constantly over phone calls attending those in desperate need across New Delhi.

Srinivas works in coordination with a team of 26 people and is trying to revert back to as many requests as possible.

People on social media are looking at these youth leaders with hope and often desperation. It is indeed very difficult to get expert medical attention when more than 3 lakh people are testing positive for the virus in a single day like on April 21.