The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has stopped providing food assistance to 23 Rohingya people belonging to four families in Cox’s Bazar. Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Md Mizanur Rahman confirmed the matter saying that their food aid has been stopped since Monday morning. “These 23 Rohingyas of four families have agreed over repatriation under a pilot project. Their food has been stopped since Monday morning. But UNHCR did not disclose why the food aid has been stopped," he said. Read: UNHCR ‘not involved’ in discussions on Bangladesh-Myanmar pilot project on Rohingya repatriation These Rohingyas are being provided with food assistance in an alternative way, he added. When contacted, Ikhtiyar Uddin Bayezid, deputy head of UNHCR's Cox's Bazar office, said that the higher officials can say the reason behind the discontinuation  of the food assistance. Bangladesh and Myanmar recently decided to undertake a pilot repatriation project under which a group of verified Myanmar nationals will return to their country of origin in the first batch. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine State are currently “not conducive” to the sustainable return of Rohingya refugees. Read: OIC members must share responsibility for sustainable solution to Rohingya crisis: Momen “UNHCR’s position on returns of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar remains unchanged,” said the UN agency sharing its assessment. The UN agency said it is aware of the visit of a Myanmar delegation to Bangladesh to meet with a group of Rohingya refugees — on a bilateral pilot project between the two countries on possible repatriation. “UNHCR is not involved in these discussions,” it said in a statement on Bangladesh, Myanmar pilot project on Rohingya returns. The statement was shared by the UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific on Sunday (March 19, 2023) night. Read: FM calls on global community to raise their voices to ensure safe return of Rohingyas      

The World Bank will provide a grant of Tk 255 crore for food aid to the forcibly displaced Rohingya community from Myanmar staying at Teknaf and Ukhia in Cox's Bazar, said State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman on Sunday. The state minister told reporters after the signing ceremony of an agreement between the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and the World Food Program (WFP) at the ministry. Also read: Rohingya repatriation should be UNHCR's priority: Momen Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Md Kamrul Hasan on behalf of the ministry and Country Director Jane Pearce on behalf of the WFP signed the agreement in presence of other senior officials from the ministry and the WFP. Under the agreement, WFP will provide food aid to Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar through the Safety Net System for the Poorest project, funded by the World Bank, said the state minister. Also read: Take care of Rohingyas like Bangladesh: UNHCR to regional countries The project will provide nutrition education to women, assistance to children under the five in health centers, materials and training in vegetable gardening, plantation and preservation of trees, and mountain slopes, cleaning roads and sewers and carrying out various awareness activities to prevent anti-social activities in the Rohingya camps, he added.

Army Chief General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed on Wednesday distributed essential food items among 5000 jobless and destitute people at Khulna stadium. The assistance was a part of Bangladesh Army program, "Operation Covid Sheild-Phase-2”, undertaken to mitigate the economic hardship of people during the coronavirus lockdown. Read:Khulna division records its highest deaths in a day due to Covid The beneficiaries received five kgs of rice, three kgs of pulses, three kgs of flour, three kgs of potatoes, two kgs of sugar, two liters of edible oil and one kg of salt each. The army chief called upon all to work in a united way in tackling the pandemic. Nurul Anwar, Khulna divisional commissioner and high ranking military and civil officials, among others, were present on the occasion. Read: New army chief SM Shafiuddin adorned with rank badge of General Army personnel of the 55 Army Infantry Division have been deployed in Khulna division and 11 districts of Dhaka division to coordinate relief distribution programmes, operate medical teams and patrol alongside the civil administration since July 1, the beginning of nationwide stringent lockdown.

bKash has recently provided food aid worth Tk35 lakh to 5,000 Covid-hit families ahead of Eid. The relief will be distributed among the needy under the supervision of Sena Kalyan Sangstha. bKash Chief Executive Officer Kamal Quadir handed over the food aid to Air Commodore M Moyeenuddin, director general (welfare) of Sena Kalyan Sangstha, Wednesday in the capital. Under the food aid, each family will receive 5kg rice, 1kg pulse, 1kg salt, 1-litre oil, 1kg sugar, half kg of vermicelli (semai), and two bars of soap. This food aid package is expected to help a family of four to survive for 10 days at least. Also read: 7 lakh bKash customers donate Tk20 crore to 50 organisations Last year in May, bKash also provided food aid Tk35 lakh to 5,000 Covid-affected families, read a press release.

Pran Drinking Water has extended food support to the needy across the country for sehri and iftar in Ramadan. The food items included rice, dal, oil, sugar, lachcha semai and drinking water. Read Iftar Items, Recipes for Ramadan in Bangladesh Pran Drinking Water Senior Brand Manager Al Amin Shikder said: "Under the campaign 'Iftar Hok Shobar,' we distributed food items across different parts of the country including Dhaka, Jhenaidah, Dinajpur and Kurigram." Tonmoy Das, head of marketing at Pran Drinking Water, said: "As part of our corporate social responsibility, we stepped forward to help the needy in the holy month of Ramadan by allocating a portion of our profit from selling Pran Drinking water." Read Robi distributes Iftar among 25,000 underprivileged people

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has provided 50 metric tonnes of food aid to Bangladesh as a part of its humanitarian initiatives during the holy month of Ramadan. Fine quality of rice, sugar, oil, milk, tea powder, salt, lentil, beans, flour, macaroni etc are among the food aid items. Chargé d'affaires at the UAE Embassy in Dhaka Abdulla Ali AlHmoudi officially handed over the aid to the Md. Anisur Rahman, Director, Department of Disaster Management of Bangladesh at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Thursday. Also Read: Coronavirus: UAE extends amnesty for visa violators till Nov 17 Earlier, a special flight of Etihad Airways carrying the humanitarian food aid landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.        Chargé d'affaires Abdulla Ali AlHmoudi said the UAE shares historical ties with Bangladesh characterized by friendship and cooperation in various fields. Also Read: Bangladesh, UAE sign four MoUs on big projects "The aid has been provided to help address the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, as these circumstances require solidarity and international cooperation, especially during the holy month of Ramadan”. In April 2020, the UAE sent a plane containing 7 metric tonnes of medical supplies to Bangladesh to support the country in containing the spread of Covid-19, he said. These supplies benefited more than 7,000 healthcare workers in their efforts to combat the pandemic, the envoy added.  

Robi has distributed Iftar among over 25,000 underprivileged people as part of its ongoing Iftar donation campaign in the first 15 days of Ramadan.  The private mobile operator has taken the initiative in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi and Rangpur in collaboration with Bidyanando Foundation. Also read: Robi to stand beside underprivileged people during Ramada

Bangladesh Red Crescent Society has started the distribution of Ramadan food packs among 15,300 poor families hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic in the country. With the support of Qatar Red Crescent Society, the food packages are being distributed among the poor depending on daily labour in the capital and several districts. Of them, 500 families are getting the food support in Dhaka city, while 1,000 families in Rajshahi city, 1,000 others in Rajshahi district, 500 families each in Narsingdi, Munshiganj and Narayanganj districts, as well as 10,300 families from displaced Rohingya living in Ukhia Camp-11 and local community in Ukhia of Cox’s Bazar. Also read: Local Red Crescent chapter receives 4 ambulances equipped against COVID-19 Besides, 1,000 other families are receiving  food assistance through the headquarters of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society. The food packages are also being distributed maintaining the health hygiene rules amid the Covid-19 pandemic, said a press release on Sunday. Ultra-poor, helpless, disability and low-income families are given priority in the selection of beneficiaries for the food assistance. Also read: Covid-19: Red Crescent Society launches isolation, treatment centers in Cox's Bazar Date, pulse, soybean oil, sugar, salt, puffed rice, chira, chickpea, and vermicelli are included  in the food packs. Director of Disaster Response Division of the Society Mizanur Rahman said the distribution of Ramadan food packages is a part of the humanitarian assistance of the Red Crescent Society.     “The Ramadan food packages will be distributed among total 15,300 families,” he said. Also read: Red Crescent donates PPE to 4 Covid-19 dedicated hospitals Besides, under the initiative of Red Crescent Society, the distribution of cooked healthy food among extreme poor and low-income floating people continue in Dhaka, Chattogram, Habiganj, Barguna, Munshiganj and Sunamganj amid the Covid-19 lockdown. A total of 8,016 packets of cooked food were distributed among the poor from April 18 to April 22 last during the lockdown, said Mizanur Rahman. Moreover, the disbursement of food packages among 4,000 extreme poor and low-income people in both Amphan and Covid-19-affected four districts – Khulna, Satkira, Bagerhat and Pirojpur – continues under the initiative of the society with the support from HSBC bank. Read Covid-19 in Bangladesh: PM allocates Tk 10.50cr for affected poor

Awami League general secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has said 1.25 crore families will receive food aid. He also said that 35 lakh will get Eid gift from the Prime Minister very soon. Awami League General Secretary made the announcement while addressing a press briefing at his official residence. Also read: Zero-tolerance against irregularities in relief activities: Obaidul Quader Sheikh Hasina's government is sincerely trying to coordinate the lives and livelihoods of the people during this coronavirus pandemic. As part of it, food assistance will be provided to 1.25 crore families who were affected by the lockdown. Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief will operate the distribution campaign. He also said the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will provide financial assistance to 35 lakh poor families as Eid gifts ahead of the Eid. Also read: Prepare a list of instigators of terrorism: Quader Deputy Commissioners and Upazila Nirbahi Officers were directed to make a list in this regard. Meanwhile, he urged all private organisations and individuals alongside the government to help the affected people during the Coronavirus pandemic.

An organisation of autorickshaw and tempo workers said its members are not getting food aid from the district administrations although the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MDMR) in a letter on March 29 asked them to extend support.   An official document, received by UNB, shows the MDMR issued a letter to all deputy commissioners (DCs) asking them to prepare a list of all the daily wage earners who lost their employments due to Covid-19 to provide them food support.    It said the Prime Minister has asked to provide food support by preparing a list of beggars, day labourers, rickshaw pullers, van drivers, transport workers, restaurant workers, vendors, teastall owners, especially those who depend on their daily earnings.   Besides, food support has to be provided to people including agriculture workers by preparing city corporation, municipality and union parishad-based lists.   “This lists have to be prepared in coordination with affluent people, organisations and NGOs who are also providing support so that any duplication could be avoided,” mentioned the letter signed by Md Shah Kamal, senior secretary of the ministry.   Mentioning the directives of the letter, leaders of Bangladesh Auto-rickshaw-Autotempo Transport Workers Federation (BAATWF) alleged that as a transport sector workers association, they submitted a list of auto-rickshaw and auto-tempo workers to the district administrations to help them enlist their names in their lists.    “But so far we got no response from DC offices except in few districts,” Golam Faruk, BAATWF general secretary, told UNB.    “Even we submitted our area-based workers list to DC office in Dhaka and Dhaka North and South City Corporations, but so far got no response,” he added.   He said drivers of CNG-run auto-rickshaws are passing days in misery as they have been left without work amid the nationwide shutdown aimed at curbing coronavirus.   Faruk said like other vehicles, three-wheelers also remained off the streets after the government shut all modes of transportation across the country from March 26.   Usually, auto-rickshaw drivers earn money on a daily basis. They have no work now, putting the drivers and their families in serious trouble.   Normally, an auto-rickshaw driver earns about Tk 500 a day after meeting others expenses, including deposit to auto-rickshaw owner, he added.