BJP to feed five crore poor during 21 day coronavirus lockdown

With the government determined on implementing 21-day lockdown fully and feeding the poor becoming a challenge, BJP on Thursday decided to press in one crore party workers to feed five crore poor people.

This was decided after party President J P Nadda held a video conference with all the state Presidents of BJP and General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santosh to scale up a programme for migrant workers and construction labourers, daily wage earners and those working in the unorganised sector.

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For this purpose, each BJP worker has been directed to arrange food for at least five poor persons under this ‘Mahabhojan’ programme of the party. Already every BJP MP has opened a control room to meet this target in Karnataka while food distribution has been started for 15 thousand people in Tamilnadu, the party said in a press release.

During the video conference, the state units of Jammu and Odisha informed that this programme has already commenced there while the state Presidents of Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli said the programme has already been taken to Mandal level.

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Nadda directed all state chiefs, MPs, MLAs and public representatives to monitor the arrangement and distribution of food to the poor and in particularly asked Delhi party chief Manoj Tiwari to ensure that the labours do not have to venture out in search of food. Delhi has a large population of migrant laborers particularly of those coming out from Hindi belt states of UP and Bihar.

Earlier in a meeting of the party’s national executive on March 25, the party had taken an ambitious decision to ensure that no poor and labour go empty stomach during the 21-day lockdown period.

The ruling party is also putting in place a mechanism to link up community kitchens, which can serve at least 1000 per day in order to ensure food to them.

With disturbing videos of scores of daily wagers from far off places, who come to Delhi in search of livelihood, going back to their homes hundreds of kilometers away from the national capital on foot on social media, drawing lots of reactions, the BJP government has swung into action to meet this challenge of feeding the poor and the destitute.

While the government on Thursday announced a package with direct cash transfer provisions, the party chipped in to directly reach food to the poor through using the network of its Mandals and Shakti Kendras. The party will reach foodgrain for a week on a weekly basis to those where they are unable to reach cooked food.