Helping Hands Initiative: Organic NE products to replace plastic in Delhi
NEW DELHI- Voluntary organization Helping Hands, plans to make unique organic products of North-East India money spinner to benefit traditional artisans of the region, Informed Robin Hibu.
Helping Hands president Robin Hibu, while chairing its virtual review meeting on Sunday, disclosed that Delhi government under Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan has decided to replace all plastic in use by eco-friendly items as a model for the country for which he has been appointed the nodal officer.
“I informed during a high-level meeting that the NE region is very well known for its handicraft items made up of bamboo and cane, besides masks, jewellery, wood carvings and textiles, which are interwoven into the culture and tradition of the people. But the artisans are yet to benefit for poor quality of the products and lack of any organized marketing platform,” he said.
One could imagine about huge requirements of banana leaf-made plates and bowls and bamboo spoons, for example, by Delhi’s hotels and restaurants only, he reasoned.
Announcing expansion of Helping Hands, Hibu said its first state unit would be set up in Nagaland with noted social worker Dr Andrew Ahoto as president for which memorandum of understanding has already been signed but the unit would be launched formally at Dimapur soon after the COVID-19 ferocity gets checked.
Terming Helping Hands as a platform which has carved a niche by working for the cause of humanity, Dr Ahoto said that he was lucky to get the chance to be part of the NGO which has been linking good Samaritans and soon turn into a unique national platform.
Welcoming him to Helping Hands family, Hibu disclosed that Facebook has informed him to seek funding from them for which he urged Thakur and Vats to meet him soon to complete the process. Moreover, US-based volunteers have been mobilizing funds to donate to Helping Hands.
Though Helping Hands has six practicing lawyers still it needs legal experts across the country for which Hibu asked Supreme Court lawyer Jyoti Zongluju to explore the probabilities.
Informing that oxygen accelerators, ambulances, doctors and volunteers are ready to face third wave of COVID-19, Hibu said that fear has gripped India as the third wave has been fuelled by emergence of Delta Plus variant which medical experts apprehend to infect children more. However, Muthoot group has consented to bear cost of airlifting coffins of petty earners who die of COVID-19 in Delhi to any NE states, he informed.
