Preparation on to distribute relief packages to 45,000 poor families in Jhapa

People’s representatives in Jhapa district have started collecting details of poor families to plan for the distribution of relief materials following the elongation of nationwide lockdown to suppress COVID-19 pandemic.

Preparation was underway to distribute relief materials to around 45,000 poor and marginalized families in the district. There are 15 local levels including eight municipalities in Jhapa. However, some local levels have already distributed relief materials to the needy families in the first phase while others have stepped up their preparation to that end. According to the statistics, Birtamod municipality has the highest number of poor families in comparison to other local levels in the district. Mayor of Birtamod municipality, Dhruba Kumar Shiwakoti, said there are 6,800 poor families in the municipality. People’s representatives are busy in distributing relief assistance by reaching to the doorsteps to help fulfill basic needs of all poor families. Different organizations have also lent support to the municipality to aid the needy sections.

Some local levels have distributed relief aid through one-door policy. Mayor of Kankai municipality, Rajendra Kumar Pokharel, said they have provided first-phase of relief materials as daily wagers have been hit hard during the lockdown.

Haldibari rural municipality said there are no families at risk of facing immediate hunger within the municipality. Rural municipality chair Rabindra Lingden said they were preparing for further potential crisis in the days ahead since COVID-19 has already entered the second phase in the country.

'' Data about the indigent families are being collected and we are committed not letting anyone suffer hunger if lockdown against coronavirus goes longer,'' he said.

It is learnt that local levels in Jhapa, the eastern district in State 1, have managed a separate fund to combat cornavirus pandemic and manage the crisis.

It has been recorded that there are 3,000 indigent families in Mechi municipality, 4,200 in Bhadrapur, 6,800 in Birtamod, 1,650 in Arjundhara, 2,700 in Kankai, 4,000 in Shibasatakshi, 2,250 in Damak, 3,029 in Gauradha, 2,318 in Bahradashi rural municipality, 3,300 in Kachankawal rural municipality, 1,735 in Buddhashanti rural municipality, 1388 in Kamal rural municipality: a total of 4,4870 while the Haldibari is collecting the details.

The local governments in the districts have distributed relief packages to meet the requirement for a week to one month on the basis of a family size.

Each family is getting four kilos to 50 kilos of rice as per the number of family members. The relief package includes pulse, edible oil, iodized salt, hand-wash soap, beaten rice and so on