Punjab Police distributes free food to needy during lockdown in Amritsar

Amid the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, Punjab Police on Wednesday distributed free food packets and other essential commodities to the needy here.

The cops distributed packets of milk, sugar and some other food items to the poor living in slum areas.

"Most of the people are now ordering food and other things online. But these poor people are locked up in their houses for the past three days. So, we decided to provide them milk and food packets," Neeraj Kumar, SHO, A division, told ANI.

"I thank the police for providing us with food and milk. I was in my house for the past three days. This is enough for us as of now," said Sarthi Devi, a local.

The central government has announced a complete lockdown of the entire country for 21 days to fight against COVID-19. All road, rail and air services will remain suspended during the lockdown, which came into force midnight last night.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an allocation of Rs 15,000 crore to strengthen the health infrastructure to tackle the disease.