In a widely appreciated gesture, hundreds of migrant labourers were provided cooked food and winter clothing by the Indian Army amid biting cold and heavy snowfall in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. The army went beyond the call of duty and provided assistance in the form of cooked food for the migrant labourers, an Indian Army spokesman said.

Essential items including winter clothing, gloves and blankets were also distributed. The spokesman said Mendhar Gunners had been doing this for the last three days despite bad weather and heavy snowfall.

They are going to nearby villages and extending helping hand to the villagers, the spokesman said, adding this humane gesture has been highly appreciated by the locals.

The spokesman said amid the third wave of COVID-19, coupled with harsh winters and heavy snowfall, the army is not only guarding the borders but also facilitating the citizens.

Separately, the officials said army troops evacuated two pregnant women from Saujiyan in Poonch and Khari in Ramban district despite heavy snowfall, photos of which were widely shared on social media.

A distress call from Mohammed Akram of Saujiyan, regarding pregnancy-related complications of his wife Rafika Begum was received and despite inclement weather conditions, heavy snow and lack of clear road, troops carried out timely evacuation from Saujiyan till Khet for 5 km in late-night hours, the officials said.

They said the patient was attended to by a womanMendhrad medical officer of the army at her unit and later coordinated her evacuation with a gynaecologist to sub-district hospital Mandi.

Similarly, another pregnant woman was evacuated from snow-bound Khari to Ramban district hospital by the troopers, the officials said.

(SAM)