After being criticized by the opposition parties on issuing a ban to the voluntary, independent, and Non-governmental organizations from distributing the cooked food, rations, and other relief materials directly to the affected and needy people, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami has, on Monday, issued a clarification regarding the directive passed.

His clarification has come exactly a day after the fresh restriction on blocking the distribution from the organizations directly to the people came into effect. In its directive, the government has instructed the organizations which are willing are provide relief materials to go through the government machinery. According to the reports, the state government has prohibited direct distribution to the people with the view of refraining unnecessary gatherings in public places.

The directive warned that any violation on the order would be treated as the violation of the curfew and prohibitory orders under section 144 and the violators would be dealt with accordingly. However, the state opposition party DMK and Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam had strongly criticized the government's order on restricting the people to serve the needy and accused the state government of issuing such a prohibition which is equal to dictatorship.

With the view of clarifying the government's directive, the Chief Minister has issued a statement in which he had said that the government had asked the NGOs and other voluntary organizations to co-ordinate with the government authorities to ensure that the food and other relief materials would be provided to the needy people safely and securely by observing social-distancing to contain the spread of the human to human transmitting virus.

He stated that maintaining social distancing while providing relief materials is essential to curb the spread as the relief materials have been carried out in the wake of the lockdown imposed due to the pandemic not due to tsunami or cyclone. He claimed that the government's order that was issued on Sunday was misinterpreted and accused the opposition parties of spreading false information that the government has imposed a ban on the distribution of relief materials by the voluntary organizations.

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