Techie spent almost ₹50 lakh,let go of his 3BHK dream to run a ‘Rice ATM’ for the needy in Hyderabad
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Ramu Dosapati, an HR executive in a corporate firm, has been running a ‘Rice ATM’ – a 24X7 supply of rice and other rations for the needy in Hyderabad since April 2020.
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Over the months, Dosapati claims to have spent almost ₹50 lakh out of his own pocket.
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From lockdown days to during Hyderabad floods, Dosapati has been helping out the needy in the city.
In the gruelling months of the coronavirus lockdown earlier this year, several stories of migrant workers and the poor being stranded without jobs and money emerged. This also led to the emergence of stories of Sonu Sood and the likes – the real heroes who went out of their way to help people out. And in the southern state of Telangana’s capital city Hyderabad, one such story is that of Ramu Dosapati.
Dosapati, an HR executive in a corporate firm, has been running a ‘Rice ATM’ – a 24X7 supply of rice and other rations for the needy in Hyderabad since April, 2020. Over the months, Dosapati claims to have spent almost ₹50 lakh out of his own pocket and has no intentions of claiming it back.
How it all started
Just about a month into lockdown, Dosapati’s younger son wanted to have chicken for his birthday. Dosapati went to the nearest shop to buy chicken, only to find a security guard buying chicken for ₹2000. “I was quite surprised as to why this lady is buying so much chicken. When I asked her I got to know she was buying it as a treat for migrant workers sheltered nearby, who had run out of food. When I asked her about her salary, she said it was ₹6,000. That made me think that if a lady with ₹6,000 salary can spend ₹2,000 on the needy, why can’t I do the same?,” Dosapati told Business Insider.
In the next few days, Dosapati got to work. He went with the security guard to the place where the migrant workers were and made a list of 192 people who needed ration and other necessary items. “There were people who wanted to go back to their hometowns by walking over 400-500 kms, I asked them to stay back and told them I would help them out,” he said.
Ramu DosapatiHe started out an initial ₹1,50,000 from his savings to feed the needy. But the amount could only result in ration for a few days. And as the word spread about the Rice ATM, more and more people came forward asking for help. “Then I went to the local kirana store owner and requested him to lend out ration on my word. I broke my provident fund and showed him the receipt for the same, assuring him that the money would come to me and I would pay him,” he said.
Giving up his 3 BHK dream to feed the needy
Dosapati, who currently lives in a 1 BHK with his wife and two sons, also wanted a bigger 3 BHK. “My sons have been fighting for a long time as they want separate rooms,” Dosapati tells us. He had even selected a 3 BHK and sold land in his ancestral village for ₹38.5 lakh.
But one morning at 6 am, his apartment guard woke him up saying about 50-60 people had gathered outside and wanted to meet him. The word about ‘Rice ATM’ kept spreading and people wanted help. “That’s when my wife supported me and asked me to go ahead and carry on with the initiative,” he said.
He gave up on the 3BHK house and instead directed the money to helping out more people, even when floods struck Hyderabad.
Over time, there has been an outpouring of support from other groups and people to help his initiative, which Dosapati vets before taking any help. It’s been over 250 days since Dosapati has been running this initiative, and for now there’s stopping him.
Courtesy: www.businessinsider.in
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India-bound LPG tanker clears Hormuz
New Delhi (PTI): A tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for India has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz and is now headed towards the country, an official statement said on Sunday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LPG carrier MT Sarv Shakti, loaded with 46,313 tonnes of LPG and staffed by 20 crew, including 18 Indians, cleared the key shipping chokepoint on May 2 and is expected to reach Visakhapatnam on May 13, it said.
The cargo -- enough to meet half a days requirement of the country -- will partly tide over supply constraints being faced since the start of the West Asia conflict more than two months back.
Ship-tracking data showed its position in Oman Gulf on Sunday evening.
The very large gas carrier has previously made runs between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports, has been chartered by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Sarv Shakti is the first India-linked tanker to cross the war zone since a weeks-old US blockade of ships tied to Iran began, pushing transits through Hormuz back down to almost zero.
There are as many as 14 Indian flagged or India-owned vessels still stranded on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement said no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure crew welfare and uninterrupted operations.
The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) control room has handled 8,373 calls and more than 17,965 emails since activation, including 38 calls and 127 emails in the last 24 hours.
India has also facilitated the repatriation of more than 2,953 seafarers so far, including 31 in the past day from across the Gulf region.
Port operations across the country remain normal with no congestion reported, the statement added.
