Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced Wednesday that it is banning the distribution of food and clothes to people living on the streets. The BMC initiative has been launched to make the state capital a beggar-free city. BMC has said prior permission needs to be taken from the municipal body if someone wants to help out the poor and the needy living on the roads. It has said legal action will be taken against the individuals/organisations violating the instructions.
The civic body in its notification said that the poor living on the streets do not want to shift to the shelter homes managed by the BMC due to free distribution of food and clothes by some organisations.
In a separate development, Bhubaneswar BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi has assured the poor can get food under the ‘Annapurna’ scheme. “Annapurna Yojana is not free. However, the poor can get food for one rupee only. As the scheme does not come under BMC’s restriction, the initiative will continue in the city,” stated Sarangi.
PNN