The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), with the help of NGOs on Tuesday, distributed essential items and ration kits to 4,500 commercial sex workers (CSWs) and members of the transgender community in its jurisdiction. BMC officials said that the distribution of ration kits is part of the civic body's initiative to support CSWs hit due to pandemic induced lockdown.
The initiative was started by the BMC’s planning department.
Civic officials said that under this initiative, with the help of various NGOs, around 4,500 transgender and CSWs in the jurisdiction of BMC were provided with ration kits containing various daily essentials.
“There are about 4,500 CSWs and transgender community members in the city. As these women are facing various difficulties during the current lockdown, the planning department of the BMC has taken the initiative to distribute food kits with the help of various NGOs,” said Sangeeta Hasnale, Assistant Municipal Commissioner - Planning Department.
The initiative was launched on Tuesday by an additional municipal commissioner (eastern suburbs) Ashwini Bhide, an additional municipal commissioner (city) Sanjeev Jaiswal, in the presence of BMC corporator Javed Juneja at Savitribai Phule Municipal School in NM Joshi Marg.
Hasnale added: "The kit we distributed includes items like rice, flour, sugar, tea, salt, red chilli, turmeric, garam masala, lentils, gram, onions, potatoes, edible oil, body soap and laundry soap. We distributed this kind of ration and essential kits during the lockdown last year too."
