Punjab police to deliver free meals to poor covid patients

Chandigarh: Beginning Friday, the poor and underprivileged Covid patients living in Punjab can call up Hunger Helpline numbers 181 and 112 for delivery of free cooked meals at their doorstep through the Punjab Police department.
          The humanitarian initiative was announced at the cabinet meeting by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who declared that “we will not anyone sleep hungry in Punjab.”
          Such patients can call on these numbers any time of the day or night, and will be provided cooked food at their homes by the Police Department, through Covid Kitchens and Delivery Boys.
          The department is tying up with such kitchens and delivery agents for this purpose, DGP Dinkar Gupta said, expressing pride at the initiative taken by the Punjab Police for ensuring food for the poor Covid patients in the state.
          As part of the facility, which will become operational from 10 a.m from Friday, poor Covid patients living anywhere in Punjab and lacking access to food can DIAL 181 or CALL 112 at any time of day or night, on 24/7 basis, for delivery of cooked meals at their doorstep.
          During the first wave also, on the orders of the Chief Minister, the Punjab Police had converted its 112 Emergency Helpline into a ‘Hunger Helpline’. The department had, in active collaboration with NGOs, Gurudwaras, Mandirs, and other Religious Institutions, successfully served over 12 crore cooked meals and dry rations to the people of Punjab in April-June last year. In a display of spontaneous humanitarian spirit, many Punjab Police personnel had made contributions from their own pockets and set up Community Kitchens in the Police Lines and even their own houses for this purpose.