Sagar (Madhya Pradesh), May 26 (IANS): Thousands of people have benefitted from ‘Sarokar Yojana launched by authorities in Sagar district in Madhya Pradesh to help people finding it difficult to arrange two square meals a day for their families due to loss of jobs amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Dry ration and food has been provided to the needy for the last 66 days under the programme across the district, in which local people too have contributed.

Nodal Officer Mahendra Pratap Tiwari said that over eight lakh food packets and dry ration to more than 8,000 families have been provided since March 23 to the poor and needy. Such distribution of food and dry ration has been done at various places across the city.

He said that 13 community kitchens have been set up by different social organisations in Sagar, where food is prepared and then distributed to the needy. Even the government officials have chipped in this endeavour.

As many as 669 staff of the Education Department are helping in distributing food packets which are ferried across the city in vehicles requisitioned by the district administration. Even migrant labourers returning home on foot to their native places have been provided cooked food.

Tiwari said that food and other items worth Rs 3.5 crore have so far been distributed among the intended beneficiaries.