Noman Mosharef :
The ongoing nationwide lockdown imposed to tackle coronavirus disease has badly affected the livelihood of millions of poor and low-income group people in urban areas.
Most of them such as day-laborers, domestic workers, transport workers, street vendors, and construction laborers have already been rendered jobless condition due to the lockdown restrictions.
They are crying for urgent supply of food and job.
Besides, a substantial number of poor people have to go outside of home regularly during the lockdown period in search of earning, as they have no other options to maintain their livelihood.
Even they are facing rude behaviors from the members of law enforcement agencies who remain on duty to enforce the lockdown.
In this situation, the government has launched an aid scheme of Tk 23 crore to support the urban poor whose livelihoods have been severely disrupted due to the loss of income. As part of the scheme, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has allocated rice and cash for both the Dhaka city corporations to distribute among the poor. But the vulnerable people are finding themselves in a tight spot to avail the state support.
While talking to The New Nation, counsilors of Dhaka City Corporations said they are yet to receive any allocation from the ministry. But they are running relief activities for the poor with their own initiatives. Such activities can cover only a limited number of vulnerable people.
“I have lost my income
 due to lockdown,” said Md Hanif, who runs a small tea shop at the capital’s Mugda area. His daily earnings ranged from Tk 300 to Tk 500.
“I have no work and no money to feed my family,” said Hanif, adding, I approached to local counsilor for aid. But he cannot help me saying that he did not get any allocation from the government.”
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) 31 No Ward Counsilor Sheikh Mohammad Alamgir told The New Nation that he is helping the poor people of his area with food and other necessary items.
“Every day we are giving food to more than 200 peripatetic, street child, beggar and rootless people at night time in my ward area. We started the programme from 1st day of the ‘strict lockdown’. It will continue until the lockdown ends,” he said.
Alamgir said he has been running the aid programme with his own initiative and is yet to get help from the government or City Corporation authority. Different people from various corner of the society have extended their assistance to my initiative.’
Another Counsilor from DSCC’s ward-26 Hasibur Rahman Manik said, he is also running food assistance to the needy people of his area. “We are giving the poor people a relief bag containing item rice, pulse, potato, salt, soap and hand wash item.”
He said the assistance receivers are most of the street people. They are passing a hard time losing their income source, he added.
The ward counsilor also confirmed The New Nation that he will continue the activities until the end of the lockdown.
Hasibur Rahman Manik also raised a concerned issue that the people gathered for receiving the relief without following health directives which makes them more vulnerable to contract coronavirus.
Talking to the New Nation, Faridur Rahman Khan, a counsilor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Ward No-27 said still now they have not got any government or City Corporation help for giving food assistance to the poor people. But I am running a food distribution programme for needy people by my own initiative. “I am giving five kilo rice, one kilo pulse and one kilo potato as initial assistance. I will give more when government relief will come.”
Faridur Rahman said, they have launched a hotline number where people can dial for help but got few call from different type of needy people.
The ongoing nationwide lockdown imposed to tackle coronavirus disease has badly affected the livelihood of millions of poor and low-income group people in urban areas.
Most of them such as day-laborers, domestic workers, transport workers, street vendors, and construction laborers have already been rendered jobless condition due to the lockdown restrictions.
They are crying for urgent supply of food and job.
Besides, a substantial number of poor people have to go outside of home regularly during the lockdown period in search of earning, as they have no other options to maintain their livelihood.
Even they are facing rude behaviors from the members of law enforcement agencies who remain on duty to enforce the lockdown.
In this situation, the government has launched an aid scheme of Tk 23 crore to support the urban poor whose livelihoods have been severely disrupted due to the loss of income. As part of the scheme, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has allocated rice and cash for both the Dhaka city corporations to distribute among the poor. But the vulnerable people are finding themselves in a tight spot to avail the state support.
While talking to The New Nation, counsilors of Dhaka City Corporations said they are yet to receive any allocation from the ministry. But they are running relief activities for the poor with their own initiatives. Such activities can cover only a limited number of vulnerable people.
“I have lost my income
 due to lockdown,” said Md Hanif, who runs a small tea shop at the capital’s Mugda area. His daily earnings ranged from Tk 300 to Tk 500.
“I have no work and no money to feed my family,” said Hanif, adding, I approached to local counsilor for aid. But he cannot help me saying that he did not get any allocation from the government.”
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) 31 No Ward Counsilor Sheikh Mohammad Alamgir told The New Nation that he is helping the poor people of his area with food and other necessary items.
“Every day we are giving food to more than 200 peripatetic, street child, beggar and rootless people at night time in my ward area. We started the programme from 1st day of the ‘strict lockdown’. It will continue until the lockdown ends,” he said.
Alamgir said he has been running the aid programme with his own initiative and is yet to get help from the government or City Corporation authority. Different people from various corner of the society have extended their assistance to my initiative.’
Another Counsilor from DSCC’s ward-26 Hasibur Rahman Manik said, he is also running food assistance to the needy people of his area. “We are giving the poor people a relief bag containing item rice, pulse, potato, salt, soap and hand wash item.”
He said the assistance receivers are most of the street people. They are passing a hard time losing their income source, he added.
The ward counsilor also confirmed The New Nation that he will continue the activities until the end of the lockdown.
Hasibur Rahman Manik also raised a concerned issue that the people gathered for receiving the relief without following health directives which makes them more vulnerable to contract coronavirus.
Talking to the New Nation, Faridur Rahman Khan, a counsilor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Ward No-27 said still now they have not got any government or City Corporation help for giving food assistance to the poor people. But I am running a food distribution programme for needy people by my own initiative. “I am giving five kilo rice, one kilo pulse and one kilo potato as initial assistance. I will give more when government relief will come.”
Faridur Rahman said, they have launched a hotline number where people can dial for help but got few call from different type of needy people.
