Dhaka: The Bangladesh government will sell subsidised rice at Tk 10 per kg in Dhaka from Sunday in an effort to help the poor during the shutdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The special open market sale or OMS will begin in Mirpur's Rupnagar Jheelpar slum and Mohakhali's Shattola slum, the food ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Under the programme, the staple will be sold from 10am to 3pm. Each consumer with a valid NID card can buy up to 5kg of rice once a week, the ministry said.

The scheme will later be expanded to Upazilas, according to food officials.

The programme will be overseen by the district administration, local city councillors, law-enforcement personnel and food officials.

The Dhaka Rationing Office of the food directorate will distribute the rice among OMS dealers.

The government has allocated 8,450 tonnes of rice and Tk 40.7 million as relief for the poor alongside working-class people who've been hit the hardest by the nationwide shutdown.

The disaster management and relief ministry sent the aid package to deputy commissioners in all 64 districts.

They have been directed to implement the humanitarian assistance programme and distribute the relief in line with the ministry's guidelines.

The programme will prioritise areas under the jurisdiction of city corporations and municipalities as the majority of working people live there.

Earlier, the government provided Tk 110.24 million and 39,667 tonnes of rice in two phases to assist the poor during the shutdown.

Bangladesh announced a nationwide shutdown, initially from Mar 26-Apr 4 before extending it to Apr 11, in a bid to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The government has urged the people to remain at home and practise social distancing to limit the risk of a further outbreak.  

https://bdnews24.com/economy/2020/04/04/govt-to-start-selling-tk-10-rice-in-locked-down-dhaka