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Updated: Apr 25, 2020 18:34 IST

On the first day of Ramadan on Saturday, the administration in Kashmir’s Srinagar started distribution of over 50,000 foot kits for the needy families amid the Covid-19 lockdown.

The district administration has prepared some 53,000 food kits containing rice, wheat, oil and spices to help the poor families as most of the commercial activities are closed in the district with 79 positive Covid cases so far.

“This Ramazan is not the same anywhere in the world, but we are trying to make it less difficult in Srinagar,” said deputy commissioner Srinagar Shahid Choudhary.

He said that they have prepared a list of deserving families across the district to be given the free kits. “We dispatched the first lot to tehsils for distribution today,” he said.

The kit comprises of 5 kg ri“It will be mostly delivered to people’s addresses. In some cases people collect from nearby locations,” he said.

The list of people was prepared as per the requests they received on the district call centre as well as information from local residents. “Our field staff assessed people on the ground,” he said.

The initiative has triggered demands among people that it should be started in other districts of the Kashmir valley as well.

“We have deserving people in every district of the valley who have not been able to earn anything for the past one month and have been struggling to feed their families. Kashmir was shut for months since August 5, 2019 which had already deteriorated the economic conditions of the people here and now this pandemic has led to a double whammy,” said Mohammad Azfal, a resident of Baramulla in north Kashmir.

Divisional commissioner Kashmir Pandurang K Pole said that Srinagar was valley’s most populous district.

“We have a large number of people associated with handicrafts and handlooms and a number of migrant labourers are also there. These people have more problems during the lock-down. That is why we have special focus on Srinagar,” he said.

The official said that they were also assessing requirements in other districts. “Already in some more districts these things are going on,” he said.