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Bhubaneswar: The Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), Pradeep Jena, has written to all the district collectors to provide food free of cost to sick, destitute and homeless people in rural areas across the State amid the ongoing lockdown in the wake of COVID-19.
The district collectors have been asked to provide one meal worth Rs 30 per day to the poor with the help of women self-help groups (WSHGs) till the lockdown ends.
Citing the directives of the Union Home Ministry and Orissa High Court, the SRC has also directed the district collectors to ensure adequate arrangements of temporary shelters and provision of food for migrant labourers stranded in their respective areas due to lockdown imposed to contain spread of COVID-19.
“The Orissa High Court in its March 29 order has directed the State Government to give direction to all bordering District Collectors and Superintendents of Police to make arrangement of stay, food and sanitation including medical check-up of all labourers and working class and their families, who are moving from neighbouring States, in the bordering districts itself,” the SRC stated in the letter.
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“The HC has also directed that in case of shortage of space, the officials can take over closed college and school premises having toilets for the shelter purpose. Similar arrangements are also to be made by other collectors of the district involving district level shifting. This arrangement may continue till lifting of the lockdown,” the SRC said citing the order of the HC.
The SRC has asked the collectors to make necessary arrangements for providing food (hot cooked meals and dry ready-to-eat) to all migrant labourers worth Rs 60 per adult per day.
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“The cost towards this food arrangement shall be met out of State Disaster Response Fund. Pending receipt of funds out of SDRF, the Collectors/ BDOs are authorised to incur expenditure from available funds under any scheme,” the SRC added.
