RAJSHAHI, April 16, 2020 (BSS)- Over 8,629.68 tonnes of foodstuffs were distributed among 7,88,536 hand-to-mouth families aimed at mitigating their hardship related to livelihood being caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in all eight districts under Rajshahi till Wednesday last.
Another 3,82,290 families were also given over Taka 3.48 crore in order to reduce their financial crises in the division. Around Taka 52 lakh were also distributed among 21,796 families for purchasing baby food in the division.
Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner Humayun Kabir Khandaker said 503.47 more tonnes of rice and around Taka 32.81 lakh for needy people and Taka 11 lakh for baby food in cash are in stock for distribution, adding that all-out measures have been adopted to ensure social distancing, restricting gatherings and distributing food among the daily wage earning families.
Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) has extended around 45,000 daily wage-earners and other hand-to mouth families with foodstuffs in two consecutive phases to deal with the present troubled situation.
In the first phase, each of 20,000 families was given ten kilograms of rice and one kilogram of pulse whiles each of another 25,000 households was given five kilograms of rice, two kilograms of potato and one kilogram of pulse through hoarding a stock of 100 tonnes of rice and 20 tonnes of pulse from the city’s affluent persons for distribution.
Around 84,000 marginalized families were given food assistance aimed at coping with the adverse situation in the division. 420 metric tons of rice was sold at 117 points and each of the families got five kilograms of rice as the Department of Food has conducted the open market sale of rice at Taka 10 per kilogram last week.
Apart from this, 7,73,026 poor and extreme poor households were given 24,000 tonnes of rice at Taka 10 per kilogram under the government’s “Food Friendly Programme” last month. Equal number of families will also get the same quantity of rice during the current month.
Another 4,500 tonnes of rice are also being distributed among the families in need under the Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) Programme. Each of 1.5 lakh beneficiary families is getting 30 kilograms of rice every month free of cost.
Divisional Commissioner Humayun Kabir said14,454 personal protective equipment (PPEs) have already been distributed to protect the frontline medical professionals from being infected with the virus. Around another 13,344 PPEs are in stock at present.
Apart from this, 17,669 face masks were distributed and another 10,429 remained stockpiled at present.
A total of 808 doctors and 1,512 nurses are working in 172 public and private hospitals in the division. Around 1,776 beds among total 4,149 ones were already prepared for treatment of the possible COVID-19 infected patients to face any emergency situation.
Besides, there are arrangements of 620 beds in isolation units here and 17 ambulances for the purpose of transporting the infected patients for emergency treatment.