Highlights
- Actor Sonu Sood has been grabbing headlines for helping stranded migrants
- Mr Sood had arranged for transport and food for people during lockdown
- Mr Sood is also helping people by providing jobs and other essentials
New Delhi: Actor Sonu Sood who has been helping people from all walks of life during the Coronavirus pandemic has been conferred with the prestigious SDG Special Humanitarian Action Award by the Department of Planning of the Government of Punjab. Sonu Sood received the award at a virtual ceremony on Monday (September 28) for his selfless humanitarian efforts helping stranded migrants by arranging food, buses, trains and chartered flights for them and in some cases providing livelihood. The award was thought to have been conferred to Sonu Sood by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) but the UN body in a statement issued a clarification and said,
The ‘Special Humanitarian Action Award’ given to Mr Sonu Sood was conferred on him by the Department of Planning of the Government of Punjab, with the support of the Sustainable Development Goals Coordination Centre. The awardees were selected based on the recommendation of an independent jury. UNDP was not involved in the selection nor in the conferring of the award to Mr Sonu Sood. We congratulate Mr Sood on receiving this award and appreciate his humanitarian efforts to help people in these challenging times.
In Pics: Thank You: Bollywood Celebrities Who Came Forward To Help During The Coronavirus Pandemic
Sonu Sood has been involved in various kinds of relief work since the early days of the pandemic in India. In April, through an Instagram post, the actor revealed that he has offered his hotel in Mumbai for medical professionals on the frontline of the fight against COVID-19 to stay. In a statement, he said,
In the tough times that we have been living and to support the national heroes who have been working tirelessly day and night, I open my hotel in Juhu for all the healthcare workers. Considering the mammoth duty these heroes are doing right now, this is the least we can do for them. We are all in this together, let’s all come forward and support them.
Opening the gates of his hotel for coronavirus warriors was like a first chapter of the book on ‘acts of kindness by Sonu Sood’. The actor along with his business partner and friend Neeti Goel also undertook distribution of cooked meals among migrant labourers stuck in various parts of Mumbai. Soon after this, Sonu Sood started the drive to help stranded migrant workers and send them back to their native place.
In an interview with NDTV, Mr Sood said what motivated him to arrange transport service for hundreds and thousands of people and said that when one goes on the field, one realises the kind of sufferings people have to go through. He said,
People are waiting for trains, some kind of means so that they can reach out to their loved ones. During food distribution, we saw a couple of families walking all the way to Karnataka. I somehow convinced them to give me a couple of days to arrange conveyance for them.
That is how on May 11, for the first time, 10 buses arranged by Mr Sood left with 350 migrants from Maharashtra to Karnataka, with permissions from doctors and governments of both the states. Since then, there has been no looking back for the actor. From buses, trains, to even chartered flights, Mr Sood has arranged all possible means of transportation to help people get back to their families.
Actor @SonuSood sent 350 #migrants home, from Maharashtra to Karnataka with permissions from both the govts.
Great job Sonu. More power to you. God bless! #IndiaFightsCOVID19 pic.twitter.com/U1iOe4Gzhs— Rohit Khilnani (@rohitkhilnani) May 11, 2020
To help as many people as possible, on May 25, the actor launched helpline number – 18001213711 for migrants living in Mumbai and willing to go back to their home town. The actor tweeted the helpline number along with a message in Hindi, asking migrants to get in touch with him and share details of their location and their destination. He tweeted, “If you are in Mumbai and want to go home, please call on this number. And tell us – How many of you are there? What’s your current location? And where do you want to go? Me and my team will try to help as much as possible.”
मेरे प्यारे श्रमिक भाइयों और बहनों. अगर आप मुंबई में है और अपने घर जाना चाहते हैं तो कृपया इस नंबर पर कॉल करें
18001213711
और बताएं आप कितने लोग हैं, कहाँ हैं अभी, और कहां जाना चाहते हैं. मैं और मेरी टीम जो भी मदद कर पाएंगे हम जरूर करेंगे. pic.twitter.com/Gik2eSCiQZ— sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 25, 2020
Speaking to news agency PTI, Mr Sood had explained the purpose behind launching the toll-free number and said,
I was getting a lot of calls… thousands of calls every day. My family and friends were busy collecting the data then we realised we might miss out on a lot of people who will not be able to approach us. So, we decided to open this call centre, it is a toll-free number.
Mr Sood has a dedicated team addressing the calls and making all the transportation arrangements. Mr Sood has also been using Twitter to connect with people requiring transport facility. The actor responds to every tweet seeking help and thanking him for the noble work.
During the course of the lockdown followed by phased reopening, various other problems like, accommodation, loss of jobs, lack of phones for online classes, and no source of income surfaced online and Mr Sood attempted to address all.
Earlier in July, a video of a Nageswara Rao’s (a farmer from Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district) young girls ploughing the fields with a yoke went viral on social media. In an attempt to provide for the family, the two girls started farming after their father’s 20-year-old tea stall got shut during the lockdown. After seeing the plight of the girls, Mr Sood gifted a tractor to the family struggling with poverty and unable to hire a tractor or oxen to plough the land.
Spoke with @SonuSood ji & applauded him for his inspiring effort to send a tractor to Nageswara Rao’s family in Chittoor District. Moved by the plight of the family, I have decided to take care of the education of the two daughters and help them pursue their dreams pic.twitter.com/g2z7Ot9dl3
— N Chandrababu Naidu #StayHomeSaveLives (@ncbn) July 26, 2020
Sharing the video on Twitter, Mr Sood wrote, “This family doesn’t deserve a pair of Ox. They deserve a tractor. So sending you one. By evening a tractor will be ploughing your fields.”
This family doesn’t deserve a pair of ox ????..
They deserve a Tractor.
So sending you one.
By evening a tractor will be ploughing your fields ????
Stay blessed ❣️???????? @Karan_Gilhotra #sonalikatractors https://t.co/oWAbJIB1jD— sonu sood (@SonuSood) July 26, 2020
Similarly, in August, after NDTV highlighted the disruption in the education of students in Mumbai’s Aarey due to lack of smartphones, tablets and high speed internet connection, various people including Mr Sood extended a helping hand. He delivered smartphones to 27 children and also spoke to them via a video call, urging them to study hard and make their parents proud.
Mr Sood has also launched ‘Pravasi Rojgar’ a mobile application to help migrant workers find jobs. In August, through a tweet, Mr Sood informed that he is offering accommodation to over 20,000 migrated workers who have also been provided jobs in garment units in Noida through Pravasi Rojgar.
I am delighted to now offer accommodation for 20,000 migrated workers who have also been provided jobs in garment units in #Noida through @PravasiRojgar. With the support of #NAEC President Shri Lalit Thukral, we will work round the clock for this noble cause ???? @lalit_thukral pic.twitter.com/XejomrrPaL
— sonu sood (@SonuSood) August 24, 2020
Mr Sood even provided financial support to actor Anupam Shyam, who was in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) of Mumbai’s Lifeline hospital for dialysis. After the Cine And TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) appealed to people to provide financial aid for Mr Shyam’s treatment, Sonu Sood came forward and tweeted that he has been in touch with Anupam’s family.
Also Read: COVID Fighters: Meet Agnes, A Head Nurse From Mumbai Who Is Posted In A COVID-19 Dedicated Hospital
In touch with them???? https://t.co/yedW7S7erW
— sonu sood (@SonuSood) July 28, 2020
The actor also supported frontline warriors by donating 25,000 face shields to Maharashtra Police. According to Mr Sood, this is the least he can do for the ‘real heroes’. Lauding the work of police officials, among the many frontline warriors working through the pandemic to serve the public, Mr Sood said, “My police brothers & sisters are our real heroes & this is the least that I can do for the commendable work which they have been doing.”
Truly honoured by your kind words Sir! My police brothers & sisters are our real heroes & this is the least that I can do for the commendable work which they have been doing. Jai Hind ???????????????? #OurRealHeroes @DGPMaharashtra https://t.co/n9nTrxaQ0c
— sonu sood (@SonuSood) July 16, 2020
Over the past few months, reel life villain has definitely played the role of a real life hero for hundreds and thousands of people. Mr Sood has reaffirmed the fact that kindness is still alive. When asked how he does the incredible work, Mr Sood said,
It feels like God is somehow making things happen and we are just following orders.
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
World
India
State Details
| State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra | 62,58,079 6,269 | 96,833 1,287 | 60,29,817 7,332 | 1,31,429 224 |
| Kerala | 32,54,064 18,531 | 1,38,626 2,926 | 30,99,469 15,507 | 15,969 98 |
| Karnataka | 28,93,556 1,857 | 23,928 222 | 28,33,276 2,050 | 36,352 29 |
| Tamil Nadu | 25,46,689 1,819 | 24,025 791 | 24,88,775 2,583 | 33,889 27 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 19,52,513 2,174 | 22,358 581 | 19,16,914 2,737 | 13,241 18 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 17,08,152 38 | 932 62 | 16,84,471 99 | 22,749 1 |
| West Bengal | 15,22,833 730 | 11,891 198 | 14,92,878 920 | 18,064 8 |
| Delhi | 14,35,844 66 | 587 14 | 14,10,216 52 | 25,041 |
| Chhattisgarh | 10,01,037 156 | 2,789 257 | 9,84,737 410 | 13,511 3 |
| Odisha | 9,65,715 1,864 | 17,201 69 | 9,43,069 1,865 | 5,445 68 |
| Rajasthan | 9,53,522 27 | 328 1 | 9,44,242 26 | 8,952 |
| Gujarat | 8,24,683 39 | 342 3 | 8,14,265 42 | 10,076 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 7,91,738 6 | 149 23 | 7,81,077 29 | 10,512 |
| Haryana | 7,69,717 13 | 740 23 | 7,59,360 35 | 9,617 1 |
| Bihar | 7,24,390 75 | 530 52 | 7,14,223 125 | 9,637 2 |
| Telangana | 6,40,659 647 | 9,625 104 | 6,27,254 749 | 3,780 2 |
| Punjab | 5,98,741 83 | 771 3 | 5,81,712 78 | 16,258 2 |
| Assam | 5,57,437 1,595 | 15,726 216 | 5,36,597 1,788 | 5,114 23 |
| Jharkhand | 3,46,918 33 | 276 23 | 3,41,518 54 | 5,124 2 |
| Uttarakhand | 3,41,673 33 | 611 5 | 3,33,703 28 | 7,359 |
| Jammu And Kashmir | 3,20,491 88 | 1,319 90 | 3,14,798 178 | 4,374 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 2,05,017 130 | 931 38 | 2,00,573 90 | 3,513 2 |
| Goa | 1,70,416 144 | 1,238 69 | 1,66,052 213 | 3,126 |
| Puducherry | 1,20,227 126 | 922 4 | 1,17,518 121 | 1,787 1 |
| Manipur | 91,460 1,198 | 10,251 312 | 79,744 872 | 1,465 14 |
| Tripura | 76,315 408 | 3,934 69 | 71,642 476 | 739 1 |
| Chandigarh | 61,922 5 | 32 1 | 61,081 6 | 809 |
| Meghalaya | 60,597 693 | 4,708 169 | 54,875 519 | 1,014 5 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 45,703 515 | 4,465 108 | 41,025 406 | 213 1 |
| Mizoram | 31,145 | 7,772 335 | 23,238 334 | 135 1 |
| Nagaland | 27,240 124 | 1,312 61 | 25,390 62 | 538 1 |
| Sikkim | 24,823 225 | 2,849 53 | 21,644 171 | 330 1 |
| Ladakh | 20,296 7 | 68 1 | 20,021 6 | 207 |
| Dadra And Nagar Haveli | 10,637 7 | 48 7 | 10,585 | 4 |
| Lakshadweep | 10,127 17 | 81 11 | 9,997 6 | 49 |
| Andaman And Nicobar Islands | 7,525 | 14 3 | 7,382 3 | 129 |
