ZCZC
BSS-18
CORONA-FOOD-SUPPORT (with picture)
20,000 poor families to get food aid in Rajshahi city
RAJSHAHI, Mar 28, 2020 (BSS) – Around 20,000 hand-to-mouth families in the
city will be given food assistance to overcome their financial hardships
caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Each of the beneficiary households will get 10 kilograms of rice and 500
grams of pulse at the initial stage, said AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, mayor of
Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC), after holding an emergency meeting at the
City Bhaban conference hall yesterday (Friday) in the wake of the virus
outbreak.
“In the meeting, we have taken a decision on how to distribute the food
grains among the daily wage earners to help them survive during the ongoing
10-day shutdown to avoid the spread of coronavirus,” Mayor Liton said here
today.
He said the city corporation has raised a stock of 100 tonnes of rice
and 20 tonnes of pulse from the city’s affluent persons for distribution
which is expected to start tomorrow.
He, however, said the distribution from the City Bhaban to ward-level has
already been started.
“We will seek more support from the richer class and affluent people for
the welfare of the distressed sections of society,” he added.
Apart from the private initiative, the corporation received 60 tonnes of
rice from the government for distributing among 200 destitute people in each
of the 30 wards.
Each of the destitute persons would get 10 kg of rice under the relief
distribution programme.
On the other hand, the District Relief and Rehabilitation (DRR) office has
decided to distribute 344 tonnes of rice as instant humanitarian support in
14 municipalities and 9 upazilas of the district. The office will also distribute Tk 50,000 among each of the municipalities and upazilas.
The office will bring 40,400 distressed families under the food grain distribution coverage to mitigate the adverse situation caused by coronavirus pandemic, said Aminul Haque, the DRR officer.
BSS/AH/GA/1524 hrs