This Ramadan, take a loss to save humanity

With the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, prices of essential commodities see a hiking trend -- a common phenomenon in the country for quite some years now.

To put a stop to the unfair practices of profit mongering at the cost of people's well-being, Idea Samaj Kalyan Sangstha, a voluntary organisation, launched their journey "Loss Project" in Jashore town on Tuesday. They started an outlet selling essential food commodities to people belonging to the lower- and middle-income groups way beneath the market prices.

"People belonging to these income groups cannot make ends meet with their limited resources. They can't even go from door to door asking for help. Our effort aims to get them some relief from the worry from the soaring prices," said Hamidul Haque Shaheen, chief adviser of the organisation.

Their outlet at Idea Pitha Park in Jahsore's Kharki area has all essential commodities, including rice, onion, potato, soybean oil, date and rice.

The package of commodities costs Tk 555, while the market price is Tk 940.

"We identified 472 families in Kharki who needed the assistance and gave them cards. Each family can buy up to four packages until Eid each week," said Hamidul. The outlet is open every Sunday and Tuesday from 3:00pm to 7:00pm.

Students who run the Idea Pitha Park -- a local food corner -- donate 35 percent of their profit to the project, according to Hamidul. "We get donations from other well-wishers as well," he said.

"We can avail the package of the daily essential food items at half the market price. This is a huge relief to us," said Rita Khatun, a homemaker from Kharki.