ED: To those in need

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused inestimable suffering and damage across the country, but not all have been hit equally hard. 

In spite of the popular rhetoric that we are all in the same boat, it is the poorest of the poor -- who do not have the option of working from home, and rely mostly on a daily wage to feed their families -- who end up having to pay the steepest price.

To that end, it is always good to see any initiative on part of the government which puts charity and humanity first. The government’s decision to distribute free rice to more than 10 million vulnerable people across the country for the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha holidays is a noble and ambitious undertaking, and deserves support from all quarters.

As the Disaster Management and Relief Minister Secretary has said, this is indeed the largest allocation of aid in a single order the Vulnerable Group Feeding program so far. But now that the initial plan has been announced, much rests on thorough and scrupulous implementation: The project plans to distribute 11,068 tons of rice to over 10 million people who qualify as beneficiaries under the VGF program, with each beneficiary getting approximately 10kg of rice, and there is a lot that could potentially be mishandled. 

In the past, we have seen relief supplies get stolen or appropriated by influential quarters -- let such untoward activities not happen this time around. 

With social distancing and other precautions in place, this is sure to be an Eid-ul-Azha unlike any other. Let us make it a happy occasion for all, while not for a second forgetting the difficult period we are currently going through.