Community kitchens dish out 2.8 lakh food packets a day in Kerala for lockdown-hit

Community kitchens set up in Kerala to cater to weaker sections with aim of ensuring one goes hungry during COVID-19 lockdown have ramped up ir operations and are distributing 2.5 lakh to 2.8 lakh food packets every day, state government said on Friday. A huge portion of food packets was being given free of cost to weaker sections, including migrant labourers, homeless people and destitute rehabilitated under Ashraya integrated project, National Health Mission (Arogya Keralam) said.

Each pack of lunch comprises rice, two dishes and a pickle and delivered for those making vance booking. community kitchens are also preparing breakfast and supper. While dosa/idli with sambar will be available in mornings, it is chappati and curry (vegetable) during nights.

se are t served free and cost between Rs 20 and Rs 30. kitchens, being run by local self-governing bodies in association with states poverty-alleviating Kudumbashree project involving women, have been functioning for past fortnight, opting social distancing and or safety measures, Arogya Keralam said in a release.

Till Friday afteron, community kitchens have cooked and distributed a whopping 33 lakh food packets, it said. government took initiative as a mission to ensure that vulnerable sections, left jobless due to lockdown, get food till lockdown is relaxed.

"Every panchayat (Kerala has 941 in total) will have a phone number to which calls can be me to avail food from nearest community kitchen. ne should go hungry," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan h said while anuncing initiative on March 25. Cooperative societies and voluntary organisations also form part of all-Kerala mission, whose army of volunteers called "Arogya Sena" (Health Army), work as members of local WhatsApp groups through which y share information regarding needy persons. members also deliver food.

first set of such kitchens began functioning on March 26, a day after Vijayan anunced plan to provide free food packets for needy at ir doorsteps. or sections of public, too, can get food by paying a minal Rs 20 per packet plus Rs 5 for delivery.

With civic bodies directly responsible in manment of community kitchens, groceries are being provided by state civil supplies department. Maintaining social distancing, essential to avert any spre of dely coronavirus, volunteers are busy with ir daily service at such cookhouses that total 1,255 across states 14 districts.

Of se, 179 function under municipal corporations. Rising to occasion, Kudumbashree has also separately serving budget meals through its "Janakeeya" hotels (peoples restaurants). Today, 238 of m are serving people.

Going by budget allocation for current fiscal, we h anyway plans to open such eating joints serving meals for Rs 25. Owing to lockdown, we have brought price down to Rs 20, says S Harikishore, Director of  Kudumbashree, which has been granted Rs 23.64 crore for mission. Authorities ensure that community work way upsets implementation of social distancing, which is essential to check spre of coronavirus.

cooking personnel and those assisting m maintain requisite gap while working. Extra care was being taken to guard against any transmission of virus, officials said. districts with most number of community kitchens are Ernakulam, Malappuram, Palakk, Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur.

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