![Former Minister, Raman Bhalla distributing essential items among needy at Gandhi Nagar Constituency in Jammu. Former Minister, Raman Bhalla distributing essential items among needy at Gandhi Nagar Constituency in Jammu.](https://cdndailyexcelsior.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/page8-3.jpg)
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 4: Former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla today claimed that lockdown has been a harsh experience for daily wage labourers, small businesses and marginalized sections.
He said these people were devoid of their livelihood and with less saving, find the lockdown financially crippling.
He further said that declaring Jammu as a Red Zone has made people restless and frightened.
“Though the lockdown in India is harsh on marginalized sections of the society; people from different walks of life and several organizations have come forward for help. As soon as the lockdown was imposed, many prominent personalities and business houses have paid thousands of crores as donation to the Prime Minister Relief Fund. This money should be spent on food and providing monetary help to the poor during the lockdown. Government officers are distributing food packages, making sure that no person is left without food in these difficult times, Bhalla maintained.
He said people of India have also displayed a great amount of respect for their emergency services personnel and medical professionals by felicitating them on daily basis.
Bhalla called for devising a robust mechanism for door to door survey under Swasthya Nidhi for effectively combating the spread of COVID-19 in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
He demanded mandatory PPEs for screening teams as they are the frontline warriors and are vulnerable to the virus. He stressed on the need to increase the sample collection teams to intensify the screening and called for incorporating IEC material, messages and jingles in surveys and publicize widely through print media, electronic, social media and other effective forms of media.
Meanwhile, Bhalla today continued the distribution of ration and other essential items among needy families of Gandhi Nagar Constituency at Sherghar, Panchayat Khaswa, Panchayat, Bahu Fort in Kalika Colony, Rajiv Nagar and Digiana.
Prominent among those who accompanied Bhalla included Sarpanch Kashmir Singh, DCC General Secretary Distt Aman Bawa, DCC General Secretary Distt Jatin Vashisht, Suman Choudhary Beant Singh Khalsa, Rangeel Singh, Basant Kumar, Iqbal Singh Ajay Kumar, Lal Chand, Subhash Chander, Sohan Lal, Om Prakash, Rohit Choudhary, Jasbir Singh Jassi, Sat Pal and Janak Raj.