Shabnam, formerly a teacher, is our Community Correspondent from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Being denied a much-deserved scholarship for completing matriculation with first division just because she came from a Muslim family did not stop Shabnam from pursuing higher education. Now the first graduate in her family, Shabnam believes that she has fulfilled her father’s dreams. Threatened by her progressive educational background,…

Shabnam Begum

Like in most crisis situations, the poorest among the poor fall through the gaps of the government’s relief effort. Community Correspondent Shabnam Begum, with the help of a generous doctor, distributed food items to 42 families in Leharva Basti of Jagdishpur village in Varanasi.

These 42 families belongs to Nat community. Due to the lockdown they have lost their source of income and so as the ration. For the weeks they were without ration. And they are still uncertain about the rations. They are not sure from where they will get the supplies once the provided ration is over.

How are India’s remote districts surviving the COVID 19 virus? With the country under lockdown and planes and trains grounded, it’s even more challenging than usual for the mainstream to cover these regions. But VV’s 200 Community Correspondents have you covered, and are keeping a close eye on the government’s and villagers’ response to the crisis. Watch our channel for a ground-level view of the regions most at risk. See how iCovid is affecting jobs, migration, health, infrastructure, livelihoods, food supplies and more. We bring you those reports and more.