The Presidency Alumni Association started providing its elderly members, present students, teachers and other members of the staff of Presidency University with hand sanitisers and masks from Wednesday.

The items will be given free and delivered on the doorstep of every recipient, Bivas Chaudhuri, the association secretary, said. The distribution will be initially restricted to Calcutta and Salt Lake. But it maybe extended to other places outside the city if there is more demand, he said.

“We have set a target to offer hand sanitisers and masks to 400 families in the first phase. We want to gradually extend the facility to more people,” Chaudhuri said.

“The senior alumni will get priority.”

The association has alerted the alumni and other members of the Presidency family through social media about its decision to distribute hand sanitisers and masks. Requisition can be done through WhatsApp.

Those who want the items will have to give their details and mention the number of sanitisers and masks they would need. A form sent on WhatsApp has to be filled.

Applicants should request for the items only if they need so, the association has said.

The home delivery of the items will be done by two companies, the owners of which are members of the alumni association.

The companies have the government’s permission for door-to-door delivery of essential commodities. “They have agreed to deliver hand sanitiser bottles and masks free of cost,” Chaudhuri said.

The entire programme will be carried out maintaining rules of social distance.

The alumni association has bought the first lot of items from the state government on Wednesday evening.

Apart from providing sanitisers and masks, the association has decided to launch a campaign to motivate people to use hand sanitisers and masks even after the lockdown is lifted, the association secretary said.