In Punjab, free food packets for poor families to encourage Covid-19 testing

The programme will start from Patiala, one of the worst affected districts, he said, while directing other districts to make similar arrangements.

Accepting the suggestion of state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, CM said said district Congress committees and local MLAs will help the district administration in the distribution of such packets.

He was chairing a virtual meeting with elected representatives, including state ministers and MLAs, as well as senior officials. This is the first of such meetings the CM plans to hold to fight the malicious propaganda being spread over Covid-19 in villages.

Noting that people were also scared of hospitalisation, Amarinder said his government was encouraging home isolation to combat this fear and had also decided to remove posters from outside the homes of patients to end the stigma attached to their isolation.