CHANDIGARH, May 14:
Worried as there was no access to food after nine members of a family tested COVID-19 positive and have been home isolated, Palwinderjit Kaur, 38, a resident from village Rajindergarh in Fatehgarh Sahib dialled ‘112’ with a request and the Police Party immediately reached their home with the required food.
“We were in dire need of food items and when I got to know that Punjab Police was delivering food to the COVID-19 affected families, I called 112. I thank the Punjab Government and Punjab Police for starting this humanitarian initiative amid the crises,” said Palwinder.
She is not the only one who availed the home delivery of the food, the Punjab Police on Friday, have received at least 70 such calls on Bhojan helpline with request for cooked food after which over 100 food packets were delivered doorsteps of COVID affected families across the state.
The move came a day after Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh declared that “we will not let anyone sleep hungry in Punjab” amid the COVID-19 crisis and started ‘Bhojan Helplines’ including 181 or 112 for delivery of free cooked meals at doorsteps of poor or underprivileged Covid patients living anywhere in Punjab through the Punjab Police department.
Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Dinkar Gupta said that COVID canteens have been established in every district and the Police teams will ensure delivery of cooked food to the COVID-19 affected families in the state.
He said that any COVID patient lacking access to food can DIAL 181 or CALL 112 at any time of day or night, on 24/7 basis, for delivery of cooked meals at their doorstep. While delivering food items, the Police teams have been inquiring about the well-being of the families, besides offering them any other help they require, the DGP added.
Deepak Arora from Patiala, whose wife and two sons tested positive and there is no one to cook food in the home also took help of the Bhojan helpline. Deepak, while appreciating the initiative of the Punjab Government, said that in such difficult times, when even relatives and friends are afraid to come to us for help, Police are providing food at our door steps.
Neeraj from Ludhiana, who along with his wife, daughter and brother tested positive also expressed gratitude to the Punjab Government for providing them the required food items.
Meanwhile, during the first wave also, the Punjab Police had converted its 112 Emergency Helpline into a ‘Hunger Helpline’ and the department had, in active collaboration with NGOs, Gurudwaras, Mandirs, and other Religious Institutions, successfully served over 12 crore cooked meals and dry rations to the people of Punjab in April-June last year.
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