NEWSPAPERS reported that labourers on daily wages are undergoing an acute food crisis since last Thursday after the authorities concerned went for forced leave and shut down all businesses, except some needed for emergencies. Daily labourers, housemaids, rickshawpullers, street vendors, beggars and thousands of other marginalised people are left in a tight spot amid a request by the government to people to isolate for 10-day. They cannot go out of their homes to earn their living. The government is enforcing the shutdown as part of its efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, which so far has claimed five lives in the country. According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 20.5 percent of the country’s population are poor. Of them, more than half falls under the extreme poverty line. However, some initiatives have been taken to reduce the plight of these people, including giving rice to them in low price to encourage them staying indoors.
The Department of Disaster Management (DMM) on March 24 allocated 6,500 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 5.5 crore to the Deputy Commissioners of the 64 districts so that the DCs can help those in need. The DCs along with the Upazila Nirbahi Officers and local government representatives are now preparing lists of those in need of support in their respective districts. The government must start distributing relief materials immediately among the marginalised ones. Therefore, it has to be done immediately with coordination among DCs, city governments, NGOs and volunteer organisations. Since a large number of people have already moved to the villages from city areas, their names might not be on the lists being prepared by the local administration. One major challenge would be to identify those who lost their homesteads to floods or river erosions and shifted to the cities and other urban areas. Also it must be ensured that corruption plays no part in the distribution process.
Apart from the government, the affluent section of society should also come up with relief materials to feed the marginal people in this crisis situation.
