Alumni of the IIT-Kharagpur haveset up a fund to provide financial assistance to around 10,500 unorganised sector workers who are dependent on the campus for livelihood and are now severely affected due to the lockdown, the institute said in a release on Thursday.The beneficiaries, who will receive financial assistance for six months, include daily wagers in eateries, ward boys of the hostels, laundrymen, tea stall owners, rickshaw-pullers, domestic workers and labourers engaged in construction projects, it said.The fund was created by 1967-batch distinguished alumnus Vinod Gupta, known for his philanthropic work, the release said."I thank Vinod Gupta for creating this fund to help people who are in dire straits," IIT-Kharagpur Director Professor Virendra K Tewari said.The donations are being collected by the IIT-KGP Foundation in the United States under the leadership of the group's president Ranbir Gupta, the release said.The Foundation has already raised Rs 1.85 crore, including a pledge of Rs 76 lakh from Vinod Gupta, it said.Ranbir Gupta, Arjun Malhotra, R N Mukhija, Rakesh Gupta and 100 more donors from the 1959 to 2017 batches have contributed to the fund, the release said.The alumni in the US aim to raise around Rs 8 crore to help the unorganised sector workers, it said.The director has urged every "IIT KGPian" to support the initiative. "This is the time to reminisce your days at the halls of residence and the mess dada's smile, your 'adda' at the night canteens and the people who had served you that cup of tea and paratha," Tewari said.
