In view of the lockdown imposed in 17 districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Lucknow, to prevent the spread of coronavirus, UP Shia Central Waqf Board on Monday directed its ‘mutvallis’ (caretakers) of Islamic shrines to provide aid to daily wagers whose earnings were affected by the lockdown.
UP Shia Central Waqf Board Chairman Wasim Rizvi said in Lucknow that waqf bodies with annual income of Rs 50,000 or more should provide work to 25 families till March 31, those with annual income of Rs 1 lakh or more should provide work to 50 such families and those with income of Rs 5 lakh or more should provide work to 100 such families.
The Shia Waqf Board gave a list of items to be provided free of cost to these families — 1.5 kg pulses, 4 kg rice, 5 kg flour, 1 kg salt and 1 litre oil.
Rizvi also said that the distribution should be done from the account of waqf and it was the responsibility of ‘mutvallis’ that photocopies of identity card — Aadhaar, voter ID or ration card — of any one member of these families be kept in the financial income-expenditure record of the waqf.
“Only those families, incapable of earning for their family due to the lockdown imposed in view of coronavirus will be provided these items. It should be kept in mind that this help should be provided on humanitarian ground and any kind of discrimination should not be done,” he said.
Rizvi also cautioned that the distribution should not be done by crowding people at the centres and instead the ‘mutvallis; should identify such needy families and sent the essential commodities to their homes.