Inflation-hit people turn to free meal distribution centres

Rising prices of essential commodities taking toll on large number of people

RAWALPINDI:

A large number of people turned to free meal distribution centres and charity centres in the midst of souring prices of commodities and the economic crisis caused by stagflation. The continuous rise in prices of flour, bread, pulses and other edibles has pushed a large number of people under the poverty line as they have started to turn to free food distribution points across the city to feed themselves and their families including the government-owned food and shelter centre at Fawara Chowk.

Several charity organisations have also set up points for free distribution of food among the needy. A horde of men and women along with their children could be seen lining up in queues outside these food centres to get the free meal at noon and in the evening.

These hunger-relief organisations are providing food assistance to the citizens as more and people found themselves turning to charitable food centres for help. These free food distribution points set up by various charity organisationa and NGOs have reported a surge in demand for food assistance and for many people it was their first time turning to them for help.

At present, dinner and breakfast is served to the needy at the government shelter home and langar khana at Fawara Chowk while the Rawalpindi Development Authority provides free lunch and dinner to the needy at the Liaquat Bagh Chowk food point. Free food is distributed by various private organisations and charities at Committee Chowk, Sunday Bazaar, Jamia Masjid Road, Saddar Chhota Bazar, Pirudhai, Gwalmandi Realty Langar, Chah Sultan and Scheme-3. In most cases, people along with their whole family members show up outside these food distribution centres to get free food two times a day.

Some food centres even give food to the people to take home as well. The inflation-hit people including several whitecollar ones, who spoke to The Express Tribune, said that everything has become expensive and they were finding it hard to afford their household expenses including food. A senior lawyer has also set up a free langer khana at the judicial complex court, where he distributes free food to the visiting complainants, court officials, police employees and undertrial prisoners. The number of free food seekers is increasing with each passing day, the lawyer said.

The caretaker of the shelter home at Fawara Chowk said that since the construction of the shelter home and until the end of the former government in April, the number of people staying overnight and having breakfast here was very high. Now it has decreased because the government has reduced the subsidy for these shelter homes and langar khanas. Labourer Farid Khan and Arshad said that in the past, they were given food and shelter with respect but now they were being treated disdainfully at shelter homes and hardly get a sumptuous meal. They said that now they seldom visit these langar khanas. Officials, however, said that the number of people seeking free food has witnessed a surge at shelter homes after the latest record-breaking inflation.