Jaipur, Apr 4 (IANS): Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh workers in Rajasthan have shifted their focus to helping the poor and migrant labourers following the lockdown called to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

Rajasthan 'Sanghchaalak' Dr Ramesh Agarwal said on Saturday that around 8,213 workers from 893 'shakhaas' have provided aid to over 1.5 lakh families since March 15.

The assistance involves providing guidelines for prevention, distribution of pamphlets about coronavirus, running public awareness programmes on social media including steps to follow lockdown measures, distribution of food packets, special care of veterans, cleanliness, sanitizer spray, mask making and soap distribution.

The workers are using hashtags such as ' #Work for Society & India ' on Twitter.

Recently when Jaipur's S.M.S. Hospital went through a crisis over the lack of masks, the team of RSS workers provided it with 5,000 masks instantly, said Agarwal.

Many families associated with RSS are preparing masks. Around 87,775 masks have already been prepared. Food packets too are made available in large number (5,43,100) for the needy, including the nomadic tribes, Agarwal said.

A 'Shakha' in Phulera town provides food kits on regular a basis to the people who require them. Mahesh Kumar, an RSS block worker, said there is enough of food to be distributed to the needy.

Across Rajasthan, 65,033 kits of ration for 20 days have been made available by RSS workers.

RSS volunteers are also persuading labourers to "stay put" and not move to other places. "With the cooperation of the local administration, migrant labourers in Pratapgarh, Udaipur's Sayra, Sanganer, Dausa and Bharatpur were helped with access to food," said Kumar.

"The RSS is determined to work for humanity, without discrimination and is not bothered about caste and religion while doing so," said RSS leader Shivlehari.