Amritsar Rural launches ‘main haan volunteer’ campaign  

Chandigarh: To ensure more efficient and effective supply of food and essential items to all needy persons in a coordinated manner during the lockdown, the Punjab Police has created centralized food pools across districts for optimum allocation and distribution.
 
The pool system encompasses the Village Police Officers (VPOs), NGOs, donors, volunteers besides religious organisations & social welfare groups, in tandem with the civil administration.
 
The pool gets inputs from field officers who regularly map demand and supply areas, with the Resource Pooling and Distribution Mechanism synergizing the distribution process, according to DGP Dinkar Gupta.
 
WhatsApp groups have been created  by VPOs to liaise with the donors to avoid any duplication in distribution of foodstuff, he said. On an average, each group has 60 /70 person of their areas to streamline the process of delivering food (dry ration and cooked food), medicines, sanitary pads, sanitisers, masks and soaps. Village or ward-wise requirement is assessed a day in advance, which is then consolidated at the DSP level. Distribution of load of ration received from all donors is done by NGOs, along with concerned VPOs, who also ensure adherence of all social distancing norms, the DGP added.
 
In Amritsar, goods pooled in by various donors are collected at Gol Bagh and Red Cross centres. A Zone level team headed by an ACP rank officer compile the stock as well as the incoming demand from various areas, depending on the public feedback.  Stock is then distributed among 85 Ward level teams consisting of a Police Personnel, a Clerk and a Municipal Corporation official, who are tasked with the distribution of the essential goods to the intended beneficiaries.
 
Similarly in Mansa, initially 38 NGO had started distribution of cooked meals and ration, distribution of which has now been streamlined through VPOs. A DSP level officer is in charge of consolidating demand for each area, and distribution among the needy is overseen by the VPOs through active involvement of NGOs, said the DGP.
 
Under the 'SBSN Punjab Police + NGOs Helping Hand' project, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Police has brought donors and volunteers on a common platform to serve the distressed. Data of needy and poorest persons had been acquired through our passport verification officers, which is taken into account while distribution.
 
In Ludhiana, all the 125 NGOs have been brought together on one WhatsApp group. They prepare langar, based upon the requirement, and the same is then distributed with police help. The essentials are collected through SHOs and volunteers from 400 different pockets of Ludhiana where poor people are residing.
 
Khanna has been divided into different zones. Various donors and social welfare societies are coming forwarded to donate food and essential goods to the needy people. The DGP said the date/time schedule is planned and specified area are assigned to the specific social welfare bodies to donate essential goods and cooked food to the needy people to avoid wastage.
 
All cooked food and dry ration donated in the city is assimilated at a single point in the Police Line, Bathinda, where uniform packets of dry ration are prepared and they are distributed using volunteers and police officials. As many as 33,902 packets of dry ration and 3,96,038 packets of cooked food have been distributed in the city already.
 
With the help of 889 VPOs in Amritsar Rural district, a campaign, “main haan volunteer”, has been launched and so far 532 supply and 4580 distribution volunteers have been listed. Resources donated by the Supply Volunteers are pooled at the Police Station level and distributed in villages through distribution volunteers. More than 3 lakh people have been fed across the district and 60,230 packets of dry ration have been distributed.