In a bid to help farmers protesting at Delhi borders, a man from Uttar Pradesh has come up with a noble initiative and he has been distributing warm clothing to the farmers.
At around 8 am every day, Shakeel Mohammed Qureshi starts setting up his roadside stall, from where he gives away locally-manufactured warm clothes for free to the farmers protesting at the Delhi-Haryana border against the Centre's three new contentious farm laws.
The 35-year-old man has managed to distribute around 300 jackets and sweaters for free among the farmers.
On average, he used to earn a profit of around Rs 2,500 daily by selling the winter wear.
"My father is a farmer, too, so I know that their life is very tough," says Qureshi, who lives in Narela in north Delhi with his wife and children.
"Farmers don't ask for much from the government, except a fair price for their produce," he told PTI.
Unwilling to talk about the price, Qureshi says: "This is my contribution to a good cause. That's all."
Most of the farmers have come prepared, but a few need support to keep fighting, according to Qureshi, who hopes to have a merchandise store of his own before he turns 40.
Qureshi smiles when a protesting farmer, who just got a free jacket from his stall, said: "God will give you a fortune in return. You have a small shop, but a large heart."
Help has been pouring in from different quarters for the protesting farmers at the border. While some individuals and NGOs have been organising langars (community kitchens) and distributing items of daily need, others have set up free medical camps. Many have volunteered to clean utensils, collect garbage, charge mobile phones and wash clothes.
The farmers have been protesting at several border points into Delhi for the past two weeks over their demands to repeal the new legislations, which they claim would benefit the corporates and end the traditional wholesale markets and the minimum support price regime.
The union leaders had rejected a government proposal on Wednesday to amend the new legislations and announced that they would intensify their agitation.
