The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be distributing food packets to the homeless, pavement dwellers and beggars due to the restrictions on movements and lockdown under the 'Break the Chain' campaign called to prevent the outbreak of the second wave of COVID-19. The Mumbai civic body has already floated a tender inviting a bid for procuring food packets.
The civic body has estimated distributing around 6 lakh food packets and the civic body will be spending around Rs. 2.20 crore for this. According to officials, the civic body is looking at procuring food packets at the rate of Rs 35 for each packet.
The drive to distribute food packets to the homeless and beggars will be carried out with the help of not-for-profit organisations that will work with BMC officials. The civic body last week assigned staff from Assessment and collection department on the food distribution duty.
A total of 20,000 food packets will be distributed per day in two shifts at noon and night. Around three or four social organizations and non-profit organisation have come forward and expressed their willingness to supply food packets.
Now, the civic body has invited tenders to supply six lakh food packets for the homeless and beggars in all seven zones in the city. These food packets will be supplied for a month.
According to BMC’s planning department, there are about 12,000 pavement dwellers / homeless in Mumbai according to the data collated last year.
Last year when the covid19 was on peak, the BMC had formed a team of 33 officials to systematically accommodate beggars, homeless and migrant labourers who were stranded in different parts of the city due to the lockdown. The civic body had then identified 10 locations across the city to accommodate the needy and provide them with food.
