KARACHI, APR 12 – The Sindh government distributed ‘expired’ ration bags to the residents of Thatta on Saturday.

In an attempt to provide food to the poor and needy amid the coronavirus lockdown, the government has been distributing ration bags among families across the province. In Thatta, however, residents said the rations they received were expired.

The bags had expiry dates of 2004 and 2005 printed on them. More than 3,000 of these expired ration bags had been distributed. People complained that although they had been starving, it was better than eating expired food.

“Why is the government even distributing it when it’s useless for us?” a resident asked.

The deputy commissioner of Thatta, on the other hand, claimed that the packaging was old but the rations inside were fresh. “The supplies are fine, they had just been transferred into old bags,” he said.

The supply of the remaining 2,000 bags that were supposed to be given has been halted.

Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda condemned the incident and called it “carelessness” on the part of the Sindh government.