BSF distributes essential items to daily labourers in Pulwama amid COVID-19 lockdown

Amid the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis, the Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday, April 8, distributed essential items among the daily wage labourers in Jammu and Kashmir's Pampore in the Pulwama district.

According to reports, the BSF has identified 100 families of labourers who will be provided with ration till the lockdown continues. While conducting the initiative, the BSF personnel took preventive measures by wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. 

Speaking to the news agency ANI, a daily wage labourer said, "We are facing a lot of problems here. I hope that everything gets better with time. BSF is providing us with food and we would like to thank them for the same."

BSF helping in remote areas

Meanwhile, Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) Director-General SS Deswal, who was recently given the additional charge of Director-General BSF, said that the force personnel are working selflessly across the country.

According to Deswal, the BSF units have been deployed in remote areas on the Western border, Bangladesh border, Mizoram border, Tripura border and Assam border where they are helping the needy amid the crisis.

Read: Don't hold Shab-e-Barat gatherings, stay indoors: Kargil admn to people, religious leaders

He added, "While the forces are serving the needy amid the prevailing situation in the country, the border deployment has not been affected in any manner."

Currently, a total of 158 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir. While six people have been reportedly recovered, three are said to have died. 

Read: Maharashtra: Mumbai's Bhatia Hospital declared 'Containment Zone' for COVID-19

COVID-19 in India

According to the latest update of the Health Ministry, about 5,274 cases of COVID-19 infection have been reported in the country including 4,714 active cases. While 149 deaths have been reported overall, around 411 people have been cured. Currently, the highest number of cases have been reported from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

In a bid to tackle the growing crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 had announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, stating that "social distancing" is the only way to contain the disease which is spreading rapidly across the world.

Read: COVID-19: 'Efforts being made to increase testing capacity in Jammu and Kashmir'

Read: 8 of 17 people who came in contact with Tripura's COVID-19 patient test negative for Coronavirus

(With ANI Inputs)