Coronavirus: This Manipal University student prepares and distributes hand sanitisers to the underprivileged

With a deficit of products such as hand sanitisers and face masks due to the global coronavirus crisis, it is falling upon people themselves to either source or create these necessary precautionary items. 

As of Wednesday, according to Worldometers, India has seen 31,332 COVID-19 positive cases. The rising numbers have caused unprecedented societal changes, having exerted a strain on global supply chains and economies. 

Amid the pandemic, Simar Sharma from Kolkata, a third-year undergraduate student studying Biotechnology at Manipal Insititute of Technology (MIT), is doing her bit to help the underprivileged who are suffering immensely due to the current circumstances. They do not have proper access to hygienic conditions, and cannot afford to buy hand sanitisers, which are expensive to purchase. 

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To that effect, Simar produced 150 bottles of hand sanitiser at home by using a combination of isopropyl alcohol, glycerol, essential oils, and water. While doing so, she ensured that she was adhering to the safety standards outlined by the World Health Organisation. These hand sanitisers are 80 percent alcohol-based and are prepared with proper care.

Simar distributed her homemade hand sanitisers to daily wage workers, vegetable vendors, fish vendors, quarantined homes, as well as slum dwellers, in Kolkata. 

“I have collaborated with the police to distribute these in marketplaces and slums where this is needed the most, and with the help of donations, I have already ordered chemicals and bottles for my second batch,” she shared with Edex Live. 

After her initiative was sustained, donations started pouring in from various parts of the country. Now, Simar can produce 600 litres more, accounting for three batches of hand sanitiser. She is now working towards producing her second batch. Collaborating with the local police, Simar is ensuring that these bottles get distributed where needed most. 

“My friends, who believe in my activity, have contributed their pocket money to this noble cause through digital payment modes. When I collect money from society to scale up, I become accountable for the money collected. I must bring enough confidence in them that the money collected is being utilised for the cause, and there is transparency,” Simar told The Times of Bengal.

At present, Simar is undergoing her regular online classes but is also utilising her free time to manifest the concepts of engineering in ways which can help the society during such trying times. 

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