BENGALURU: More than a month into the lockdown, the government is facing a huge humanitarian crisis as many people across Bengaluru say they are battling hunger because they don’t have ration cards. This despite the government’s assurance to feed everyone even if they don’t have ration cards. “The government has given rations to those who have applied for ration cards and not yet got the cards. We will give them rations in May as well,” Additional Chief Secretary and Development Commissioner Vandita Sharma told The New Sunday Express.

“Food kits have been given to those who have not applied and those who do not have ration cards. The government is also seeking the help of NGOs to reach out to those people who don’t have ration cards,” she added. Kamakshi (35), a resident of Hanumanthanagar, buys ration for her family of five, including three children. “I used to sell company products doorto- door till last month. There is nothing to do now. My husband has neurological problems and has recently been discharged from hospital. We couldn’t get a ration card because we don’t have Aadhaar cards.

I have to buy rice from the fair price shop. My savings are depleting,” she said. Bhagyalakshmi (45) lives in Nayandahalli. A widow, she fends for herself, her 70-yearold mentally challenged mother, her daughter and two grandchildren. “We don’t have a ration card. I wanted to get one, but then came the lockdown. I have approached so many people in our neighbourhood to help us get rations from the government, but no one has helped so far. When I go to the PDS shop, they tell me that ration is over. We buy rations with whatever we have. Soon, we will have nothing left,” she sobbed. Sujatha of Vijayanagar too doesn’t have a ration card and is not getting free ration from the government.

“I go to the area PDS shop and buy rice at Rs 10 per kg from people who get it on their ration cards,” she said. Sujatha runs a family of four, including her two children. Volunteers, who have been distributing free meals to thousands of migrant workers and slum dwellers in the city, say that government ration kits are not reaching all those who don’t have ration cards.

“Around 80 to 100 local people and migrant workers and their families queue up every day under the Hennur Road flyover waiting for food vans between 10.30 am and 12.30 pm,” said interior designer Sabiha, who has been volunteering with Zerodha-Smally ’s Café initiative for the distribution of free food for over a month. The plight of migrant workers is no different. Caught between their home states asking them to return and the fear of an uncertain future, some of them, who TNSE spoke to, said they do not wish to return. “We are living on our last savings.

We don’t want to go back because there is nothing to do there,” said Kahdeer, a tailor from Bihar, who lives with 13 other migrant workers from his state near the Halasuru police station. Satish, also from Bihar, is a construction worker and lives with 300 people in Whitefield. “We were getting free meals till recently. It has stopped coming. We have put our resources together and are roughing it out. We don’t want to go back because there is no work. We also fear that government will put us under quarantine for 14 days,” he said.