The government has decided to send relief goods for Bangladeshi workers, currently living in the Maldives, to fight the ongoing crisis of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has taken the initiative in the wake of a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh.
Md Shah Kamal, senior secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, told journalists on Sunday that they allocated the relief materials as per the requisition issued by the Foreign Ministry.
"We are yet to know the number of Covid-19 infected there [the Maldives] as well as the number of individuals who should be helped," he said.
On Sunday, the letter was sent to the Department of Disaster Management mentioning the allocation of relief supplies to the countrymen in the Maldives.
Around 40 tons of rice, 10 tons of potatoes, sweet potatoes, and lentils each, and 5 tons of onions, eggs and vegetables each will be distributed there, according to the letter.
The government will purchase the relief materials worth Tk50 lakh, along with other necessary medications, masks, and hand sanitizers, by the deputy commissioner (DC) of Chittagong, it said.
The materials will have to be handed over to the Naval Stores Depot in Chittagong for being sent to the neighbouring country, it added.
