The Northeast region in India has got its first food and cloth bank at Nazira in Shivasagar district in Assam with the sole initiative of Biraj Hazarika, who was quite magnanimous in spending out of his pocket for the bank.
Named ‘Roti aaru Kapur Bank’, with the punch line “Gareeb Ka Dosth”, the bank will be collecting clothes as well as non perishable items such as rice, oil, lentils, sugar, salt among other things.
Hazarika, who works with the Central Industrial Security Force, hails from Dalgaon in Darang District. He has been donating food and cloth to the needy at all the places that he had worked. And at last he thought of having a bank, which could help in providing clothes and food to the needy.
The bank will function from a permanent office in Nazira. His plan is to ply a vehicle to the nearby village from time to time to supply food and clothes. With the bank being handled alone, Hazarika has said that he would buy as much items from his own pocket. He also said that he had been contacted by many people who were willing to contribute to the bank. He also hoped that more and more people would come to help once the bank becomes fully operational.
He said that he had plans to open more banks across the state. As a beginning, the next bank would be at Jorhat town, he said.
Hazarika started donating food and clothes for the first time when he was posted at Taj Mahal in Agra. This had become a routine and part of his life and culminated in the Bank.
He joined CISF in 2010 and is now posted in Assam from 2018.
