Beneficiaries in Hyderabad selling charity grains back to shops for money

Hyderabad: With scores of concerned individuals playing good Samaritan and distributing food grains and other essentials to needy across the city on a big scale, many receivers of ration kits are flocking to kirana stores and wholesale dealers to sell them food grains for whatever money they can get. While some shops are buying such ration for paltry sums, some are turning them away in fear that it could spread Coronavirus during transit.

“Over last 10 days, several poor people have come to our shop to sell stuff. Five of them had about 10 kg rice each, four to five kilos of pulses, flour, salt packets and cooking oil, which they received at different places. Though it felt sad, we had to turn them away,” a trader in Begum Bazar told Deccan Chronicle requesting anonymity.

He said some begged for any amount of money in exchange for the items. “We do not know who is carrying the virus. They have been moving from place to place with food grain packets. We did not want to take a chance,” he said.

Another trader also admitted that many poor people have been visiting his store trying to sell small quantities of food grains and other items. “We see vagabonds and needy carrying food grain kits, trying to sell them across Begum Bazar, Siddiamber Bazar, Goshamahal, etc. A lot of smaller shops to whom we supply food grains say they are buying from them at cheap rates,” he said.

When DC checked with shop owners across Begumpet, Punjagutta and areas in Banjara Hills, many confirmed that people with food grains have been trying to sell such stocks.

“Some shops purchased with a desire to help the poor. Others shooed them away, fearing virus. I spoke to some of them who are labourers, who said they want money,” one shop owner who identified by first name alone, Narsingh, said.

“While food is essential, poor people also need money to survive. Therefore, most of them are collecting stuff and when they have stored a few kilos, they are bringing it to us,” traders informed, adding that even money should be distributed besides food.

Police officials, who are witness to large-scale food distribution every day, said that though there are hundreds of people distributing food, many do not realize that poor people have no means of cooking.

“Many homeless people do not have any facility to cook. What will they do with grains? Therefore, they are selling it off and at least getting some money,” officials said, adding, “while selling food grains to shops could be risky, poor have no other option.”

“People also need some money to keep lives going. Merely distributing food is not helping,” a senior police official said.