Once a migrant labourer, this 24-year-old man is helping others like him by providing PAN, Aadhaar, and bank accounts

Linking your Aadhaar card/PAN card, Voter ID, or bank account details as an identification proof is mandatory at most places these days to get any work done.

While it might be easy for those who already have these documents in place, for those people who have next to no idea on how to avail these important documents, especially in a new town, it might be a big challenge.

Kranti Ben faced a similar situation when she migrated to Ahmedabad in search of work. Unfortunately, she could not land a job as she didn’t carry any identity proof with her. Not realising its importance, she had left her Voter ID back in her village.

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Twenty-four-year-old Naresh Sijapati, aka Naresh Bhai, who has been helping many people like Kranti Ben get identity documents such as Aadhaar, PAN, and bank accounts done by charging a nominal fee of Rs 40 came to her help.

Speaking about Naresh, Kranti Ben told Efforts For Good,

“If it was not for Naresh Bhai, I would still be unemployed. He made my Aadhaar card, PAN card, bank account – everything within just a few days. He also informed me about government benefit schemes I would be eligible for, like Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PM- SYM) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY). He only made all those cards for me. God bless him.”

After experiencing the hardships of being a migrant labourer in a city, Naresh started the Panah Foundation in 2017. Naresh, who runs the office through a mobile van, also known as ‘Naresh bhaiya ki van’, has till date registered over 600 members and has 23 team leaders across Ahmedabad. The van has two operators, and one among them is a woman who handles operations from the autorickshaw.

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Commenting on this unique initiative, Naresh said,

“I used to notice the SBI kiosks operating everywhere in the city trying to bring more people into the ambit of banking. At the same time, due to the Digital India initiative, small makeshift centres were opening up to aid people in getting their documents.”

In order to help people with their documents, the Panah Foundation has collaborated with UIDAI and the State Bank of India.

Speaking to The Logical Indian about his other initiatives, Naresh said,

“Through the Labour Resource and Support Centre, Panah Foundation is offering skill and knowledge development training to labourers. We are also planning to have “Self-help” groups for the workers. The team leaders appointed will constantly be available to manage labourers, and help them with any problems.”

Naresh wants to make sure that Panah Foundation emerges as a one-window centre for migrant labourers.

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