RANGPUR, March 29, 2020 (BSS) – The government today started distribution of food among the needy and working people who became jobless due to coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in Rangpur division.
Official sources said district administration through upazila and local government bodies are distributing the food allocated in two phases by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief in recent days.
In Rangpur, Deputy Commissioner Md. Asib Ahsan today launched the programme as he distributed food among 65 families at Bhawanipur Asrayan Prakalpa here.
Under the programme, each of the beneficiary families received a sac containing 16.50 kg of foods, including 10 kg of rice, one kg lentil, one kg iodized salt, one kg of sugar, two kg of flattened rice, one litre of soya-bean oil and 500 gram of noodles.
District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (DRRO) of Rangpur ATM Akhteruzzaman said the government recently allocated 200 metric tonnes of rice and Taka two lakh for the purpose.
“Besides, we have some previous buffer stocks of general relief rice for distribution among the people who became jobless due to the coronavirus situation in the district,” he said.
“We have already allocated 180 tonnes of rice in favour of all eight upazila administrations for distribution among 18,000 jobless families with 10 kg of rice each with the assistance of the local union parishad chairmen and members,” he said.
At the same time, 165 metric tonnes of rice has been allocated in favour of Rangpur City Corporation (RpCC) for distribution among 16,500 jobless families at their doorsteps with 500 families in each of the 33 wards with 10 kg of rice for each family.
“Besides, we have allocated three metric tonnes of rice for distribution among jobless families of the ethnic minority communities, newspaper hawkers and other vulnerable people who became jobless,” he added.
Chief Executive Officer of RpCC Ruhul Amin Mian said the City Councilors are preparing lists of 500 poor and jobless families in each of all 33 wards of the city to begin distribution of 165 tonnes of rice among 16,500 families with 10 kg each.
Kurigram DRRO Dilip Kumar Saha said the government recently allocated 200 metric tonnes of rice and Taka two lakh for distribution among the needy people who recently become jobless in all nine upazilas of the district.
“The upazila administrations in association with the local government bodies are working to complete distribution of the allocated rice among the targeted families with 10 kg for each,” he added.
Additional Divisional Commissioner (General) Md. Zakir Hossain said the government has allocated 200 metric tonnes of rice and Taka two lakh in two phases for each of the eight districts in Rangpur division for the needy and jobless families.