->Titodutta: /* Medical wellbeing */ specify source language, fmt

2022-01-07T05:19:38Z

Medical wellbeing: specify source language, fmt

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{{Infobox organization
| name = Red Volunteers
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| logo = File:Red Volunteers.jpg
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| established = {{start date and age|2021|04|26}} <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/youth-cpm-deploys-red-volunteers-to-help-out-in-covid-fight/cid/1277860|title=করোনা-যুদ্ধে সহায়তা দিতে ‘রেড ভলান্টিয়ার্স’|website=www.anandabazar.com|language=bn}}</ref>
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| type = [[Nonprofit organization|Nonprofit]]<br>[[Political organisation|Politically funded]]<br>[[Voluntary association|Voluntary]]
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| status = Active
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| headquarters = [[Kolkata]]
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| area_served = [[India]] (mainly in [[West Bengal]], also active in [[Kerala]], [[Rajasthan]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[Punjab]] , [[Assam]], [[Bihar]] [[Telangana]] , [[New Delhi]] and [[Tripura]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://studentstruggle.in/volunteering-for-humanity-sfi-dyfis-red-volunteers-in-action-across-the-country/|title=Volunteering for Humanity: SFI-DYFI's 'Red Volunteers' in Action Across the Country|first=Mayukh|last=Biswas|date=May 18, 2021}}</ref>
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| membership =  More than 1.5 Lakhs
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| parent_organization = [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]
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| volunteers = ~ 1 lakh
<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://bangla.asianetnews.com/amp/west-bengal/red-volunteer-help-people-all-over-the-state-bmm-qulc38|title=শূন্য সিপিআইএমের উপহার রেড ভলান্টিয়ার্স, বিরোধীদের ভরসাও তারা | red volunteer help people all over the state bmm|website=bangla.asianetnews.com|language=bn}}</ref>
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| website = https://www.redvolunteerswb.com/ {{small|([[West Bengal]])}}
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'''Red Volunteers''' is an Indian [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]], [[Nonprofit organization|nonprofit]], [[Political organisation|political]], beneficiary and [[Voluntary association|voluntary]] organisation, founded by [[Democratic Youth Federation of India]] and [[Students Federation of India]], the youth & student wings of [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]].

==Background==
Red volunteers was founded as a voluntary organisation amid the [[COVID-19 pandemic in India|COVID-19]] and oxygen crisis in [[COVID-19 pandemic in West Bengal|West Bengal]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://science.thewire.in/health/after-india-the-countries-on-the-brink-of-another-covid-oxygen-crisis/|title=After India: The Countries on the Brink of Another COVID Oxygen Crisis|first1=Madlen|last1=Davies|first2=Rosa|last2=Furneaux|date=May 25, 2021}}</ref> The 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections were held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Election rallies and campaigns were done, triggering the pandemic more stronger. Soon, people face severe oxygen shortages because of surging COVID-19 cases and low vaccination rates. Red Volunteers was launched in Kolkata with just 83 members, to deliver medical and social help to the distressed and sick people in spite of its parent party CPI(M) getting no seats in the last assembly election.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|title=Youth CPM deploys Red Volunteers to help out in Covid fight|url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/youth-cpm-deploys-red-volunteers-to-help-out-in-covid-fight/cid/1277860|website=www.anandabazar.com|language=bn}}</ref>

The Red Volunteers Facebook group has over 1.3 Lakh members as of August 2021, and is flooded with distress requests, around 3,000 each day.<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/covid-left-lifeline-for-patients-and-kin-during-pandemic/cid/1815024|title=Covid: Left lifeline for patients and kin during pandemic|website=www.telegraphindia.com}}</ref>

The name "Red Volunteers" was suggested by CPI(M) leader [[Samik Lahiri]].<ref name="auto4"/>

==Works==
===Medical wellbeing===
Red Volunteers is involved in numerous social activities like delivering oxygen, food, medicines to the needy patients. Also they conduct door to door RT-PCR in many areas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bengali.news18.com/news/kolkata/is-it-a-loss-for-the-citizens-of-west-bengal-if-red-volunteers-do-not-continue-their-work-swd-594134.html|title='আক্রান্ত' রেড ভলান্টিয়ার্স? কাজ বন্ধ করে দিলে গোটা রাজ্যের ঠিক কতটা ক্ষতি|website=News18 Bengali}}</ref> The each district group mainly functions through four or five team. One team looks after the oxygen needs. Another group arranges food, groceries, medicines for patients or families who cannot go out. Another team keeps database of beds available at hospitals and nursing homes. One of the team keeps in touch with COVID-19 patients whose oxygen saturation level is low or until he or she recovers. Also a team coordinates the entire operations.<ref name="auto4"/>

According to Arnab Das, an SFI state committee member and representative of Red Volunteers in Konnagar, on an average Red Volunteers got at least 8 requests per day only in the Uttarpara Assembly. Akash Kar, an SFI member activist and a member of the Red Volunteers Ashoknagar group, said his team attends to at least 150 to 200 distress calls every day.<ref name="auto4"/>

Even other party MLAs have kept faith on them.<ref name="auto1"/> BJP MLA Parthasarathi Chattapadhyay who was effected by Corona and needed of Oxygen, Red Volunteers delivered them Oxygen even being politically opposite.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bengali.abplive.com/videos/news/kolkata-covid-update-red-volunteers-come-forward-to-help-bjp-mla-with-oxygen-cylinder-815108|title=COVID Update: রাজনীতির ঊর্ধ্বে সৌজন্য, অসুস্থ BJP বিধায়কের বাড়িতে অক্সিজেন পৌঁছে দিল রেড ভলান্টিয়ার্স|first=ওয়েব ডেস্ক, এবিপি|last=আনন্দ|website=ABP Bengali|language=bn}}</ref>
Red Volunteers sanitized many places including the other party offices.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/nadia-murshidabad/red-volunteers-of-murshidabad-sanitized-bjp-office-dgtld/cid/1284493|title=Red volunteers of Murshidabad sanitized BJP office dgtld|website=www.anandabazar.com|language=bn}}</ref><ref name="auto3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/north-bengal/tmc-leader-donated-his-salary-to-red-volunteers-of-cpim-in-alipurduar/cid/1284937|title=TMC leader donated his salary to red volunteers of CPIM in Alipurduar|website=www.anandabazar.com|language=bn}}</ref>

===Other activities===
Along with medical wellbeing, these volunteers are also keeping track of the social development of the people living in remote areas of the state as they are left untouched by the urban areas due to lack of proper infrastructure.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/india/video/covid-warriors-red-volunteers-come-forward-in-bengal-to-provide-medical-aid-in-rural-areas-1811864-2021-06-07|title=Covid warriors: 'Red Volunteers' come forward in Bengal to provide medical aid in rural areas|website=India Today}}</ref> Red Volunteers of CPIM joined hands with the villagers to repair rural roads at Pakuria village in Khejuri, as the roads had become unmotorable and couldn't be used for walking with the arrival of the monsoon. As, the local Panchayat was taking no action after several requests, Red Volunteers went down to roads to help.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/red-volunteers-of-cpm-villagers-join-hands-to-repair-roads-at-khejuri/cid/1821000|title=Red Volunteers of CPM, villagers join hands to repair roads at Khejuri|website=www.telegraphindia.com}}</ref>

Red Volunteers also run Red Canteens and Red kitchens for faster and low price food deliveries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.redvolunteerswb.com/|title=Red Volunteers WB|website=Red Volunteers - West Bengal - RedVolunteersWB.com}}</ref>

They also provide Red Ambulance services with CITU for faster patient delivery help.<ref name="auto1"/>

==Reception==
Red Volunteers have got great positive response, with nearly no complaints. Popular celebrities like [[Sourav Ganguly]], [[Sreelekha Mitra]], [[Badshah Moitra]], [[Kamaleshwar Mukherjee]], [[Rahul Banerjee (actor)|Rahul Banerjee]] etc. have praised Red Volunteers massively.<ref name="auto6">{{Cite web|url=https://bengali.indianexpress.com/entertainment/sreelekha-mitra-on-red-volunteers/|title=‘বাংলার অক্সিজেন’ রেড ভলান্টিয়ার্স, সামনেই ‘২০২৪ ভোট’, আমাদের ভুলে যাবেন না কিন্তু: শ্রীলেখা}}</ref> Actress Sreelekha Mitra has termed them as "Oxygen of Bengal".<ref name="auto6"/>
One user wrote on the Red Volunteers’ Facebook page that she has always been “a TMC supporter”. But she lavished praise on the Red Volunteers. “Apart from helping the people they've kept in touch with the patients...I bow down to these boys and girls today.”<ref name="auto4"/> Appreciating the role of the Red Volunteers, a man from Khejuri praised them and said: “We are thankful that at least these youths are by our side in such difficult times.”<ref name="auto"/>

===Notable donations===
Red Volunteers received a large number of donations for their good voluntary work. Popular celebrities like [[Sourav Ganguly]], [[Sreelekha Mitra]], [[Badshah Moitra]], [[Kamaleshwar Mukherjee]], [[Rahul Banerjee (actor)|Rahul Banerjee]] etc. have donated to them too.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india/covid-19-how-a-red-army-sourav-ganguly-and-celebs-are-fighting-it-in-kolkata-1.79481838|title=COVID-19: How a Red army, Sourav Ganguly and celebs are fighting it in Kolkata?|first=Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate|last=Editor|website=Gulf News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eisamay.indiatimes.com/west-bengal-news/siliguri-news/sourav-ganguly-to-send-help-for-red-volunteers-in-siliguri/articleshow/82909172.cms|title=রেড ভলান্টিয়ারদের পাশে এবার সৌরভ গঙ্গোপাধ্যায়|website=Ei Samay}}</ref> BCCI President and former Cricketer "Dada" [[Sourav Ganguly]] donated two Oxygen Constructors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bangla.hindustantimes.com/sports/bcci-president-sourav-ganguly-gives-oxygen-concentrators-to-the-red-volunteers-31624038798804.html|title=মানবিক সৌরভ, রেড ভলান্টিয়ারদের হাতে তুলে দিলেন অক্সিজেন কনসেন্ট্রেটর|first=HT Bangla|last=Correspondent|date=June 19, 2021|website=Hindustantimes Bangla|language=bn}}</ref>

The alumni association of [[Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur|BE college]] has decided to medically insure about 159 frontline Red Volunteers spanning the major districts. Under the scheme each volunteer has been insured
for Rs two lakhs if needed.<ref name="auto5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsclick.in/WB-Red-Volunteers-Overwhelming-Support-Civil-Society-State-Govt|title=WB: Red Volunteers get Overwhelming Support from Civil Society, Not State Govt.|date=June 3, 2021|website=NewsClick}}</ref>

The alumni association of the Scottish Church College Kolkata formed a corpus of Rs eight lakh for helping people, in which they decided to donated Rs 25,000 to the volunteers. They have also reached out to the 48 Red Volunteers' groups across the state.<ref name="auto5"/>

National Medical College alumni donated Rs 75,000 to the SFI for the volunteers' programme in West Bengal .
The AIDWA gifted an oxygen cylinder to the Volunteers as well.<ref name="auto5"/>
Even many leaders of other parties like BJP MLA [[Suman Kanjilal]], TMC leader Avijit Roy have donated their whole salary to help the Red Volunteers.<ref name="auto3"/>

===Reaction of state government===
Despite Red Volunteers' massive volunteery work, the state Government refused to support them.<ref name="auto5"/> They did not accept them as Front-line workers and denied Vaccine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eisamay.indiatimes.com/west-bengal-news/kolkata-news/red-volunteers-denied-vaccination-in-sskm-hospital-sfi-dyfi-protests/articleshow/83206578.cms|title=রেড ভলান্টিয়ারদের টিকা দিতে নারাজ SSKM! প্রতিবাদে সরব SFI-DYFI|website=Ei Samay|language=bn}}</ref>

According to Srijan Bhattacharya, a SFI activist and Red Volunteer, “Many volunteers have been attacked by Trinamul goons after May 2. Female members have been abused over phone. Some of our own party members asked us to withdraw the service. But an overwhelming majority of volunteers decided to carry on,”.<ref name="auto4"/> DYFI's Kolkata head Kalatan Dasgupta alleged the Government and said that while civil society came forward to help the volunteers, the state government is unable to think outside political machinations and come to the people's aid during a pandemic.<ref name="auto5"/>

==See also==
*[[Sramajibi Canteen]]
*[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]
[[Category:Organisations based in India]]

Red Volunteers - Revision history

->Titodutta: /* Medical wellbeing */ specify source language, fmt