COVID-19 has become the cause of all kinds of difficulties that people and governments are facing all over the world. Almost every country is under full or partial lockdown and businesses and economies have collapsed. In a situation like this, there are some brave people who are coming forward and doing their bit to fight against the virus, while following all the rules of lockdown. Abhijeet Bhamkar from Wardha, Maharashtra is one such young entrepreneur. Abhijeet is the Director of Udayan Signature Private Ltd, a garment manufacturing company that started in 2019 and was about to complete its first anniversary when COVID-19 started spreading. Abhijeet had to close production as per the government’s orders. Being the Director, Abhijeet shouldered a lot of responsibilities and have suffered a lot due to the closure of the factory. At such a critical point he noticed that there are still people, essential workers and others, in his locality who have to work in the lockdown. These are personnel from Police, Health care industry, and the Municipal Council who are risking their lives to save others and he found out that they are lacking basic necessities like face masks. Abhijeet planned to make cotton face masks and make them available in the market for the masses to protect themselves. He started making breathable face masks made of cotton, with a high elastic ear loop that would help in providing complete protection to the user. At present his company has already supplied around 50000 masks in the market with plans to double that number soon. Abhijeet also provided 4000 masks to the police. To prevent any reselling or increment in the MRP, each finished product has its own bar code which ensures that the article is sold at the correct price. Abhijeet made sure that all the employees in the company follow correct measures to maintain safety. Washing hands, wearing gloves and masks always, and maintaining social distancing were just a few rules that he and his employees strictly abided by. With the help and encouragement from BYST and his mentor, Abhijeet made it possible for his employees to be comfortable at a time so economically straining. Giving them work, salaries on time and the purpose of fighting against a worldwide crisis, Abhijeet’s story proves that real role models are those who don’t back down from any challenge and lead by example. 

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