Initiative launched to offer one-time aid to 7K distressed women in city

kolkata: Dr Shashi Panja, Minister for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare, inaugurated one-time assistance programme at Dilip Mazumdar Smriti Bhavan in Kalighat on Wednesday.

The programme is an initiative of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Under the programme, one-time assistance will be provided to marginalised and distressed women, transgender and short-statured people, who are facing great inconvenience due to the Covid pandemic.

The assistance constitutes food items, including 5kgs of rice and 2kgs potatoes per beneficiary.

The department will reach out to around 7000 such women in Kolkata and a total of around 16, 830 women, 5350 transgender and 5687 short statured people throughout the state.

The programme was launched in collaboration with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

Mala Roy, Trinamool Congress MP from south Kolkata and Debashis Kumar, MLA from Rashbehari and member, Board of Administrators, Kolkata Municipal Corporation were present at the launch event.

In the next couple of days, assistance will be provided from different venues in Kolkata like Nilmoni Mitra Street, Chetla, Bowbazar and Watgunj.