KOCHI: At a time when migrant workers in northern India are demanding transport facility to get back to their homeland, community kitchens in the state are ensuring that no ‘guest worker’ goes hungry during the Covid-19 times.Most importantly, the community kitchens serve food to migrant workers as per their dietary habits, officials said. No less than 1,255 community kitchens have been opened state-wide in a bid to ensure tasty meals to each and every one of these guests.
In the district, a beehive of migrant workers, around 138 community kitchens have been opened with the support of Kudumbashree and local bodies. Each day, around 42,000 food packets are distributed from these kitchens. “Compared to other districts, Ernakulam has the largest number of community kitchens. Nearly 128 kitchens are run by Kudumbashree Mission.
On an average, we serve 50,000 food packets to the needy. Until now, there hasn’t been a single complaint about the quality of food or other issues pertaining to either the community kitchens and the budget hotels,” said Rajeena T M, assistant district mission coordinator, Kudumbashree.Besides, the district administration has set up exclusive migrant community kitchens at Perumbavoor, which houses a large number of migrant workers in labour camps.
“The revenue department is running the community kitchen for migrant workers. We have rustled up a menu as per their taste and also deployed a few from their own group to cook. The money we get through CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiative is used to fund the expenses. So far, everything is going as per plan and migrant workers and the needy are getting sufficient food at their doorstep,” said S Suhas, district collector. According to him, several people are donating groceries to the community kitchen. “We are getting good support from the public. Even the local bodies are associating with the Kudumbashree in managing the kitchens which leaves no room for complaint,” the collector added.
Earlier, rural police had put up five television sets with cable connection and provided 10 carrom boards at Bhai colony which is home to around 4,000 workers mostly from Odisha, West Bengal and Assam. “We want to keep them engaged so that they feel at home. We have provided them with CDs of Odiya, Bengali and Assamese movies. Also, awareness campaigns are being conducted,” said Karthik K, district police chief (Rural), when asked about migrant workers in Perumbavoor.