THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Getting a delicious meal at just Rs 25 might sound impossible at a time when the price of essential commodities is rising daily. The Kudumbashree-run Janakeeya Hotels in the district that are providing meals at subsidised rates have been a boon for the people during these tough times, especially while fighting the pandemic. To extend its service to more people, the Kudumbashree Mission is all set to open its 100th Janakeeya Hotel in the district by next week.
The Mission currently runs 99 Janakeeya hotels in the district. Of this, 27 are functioning in urban areas and 72 in rural areas. “The Janakeeya hotels were a lifeline for many people when most of the restaurants and hotels remained closed due to the extended lockdown and the series of restrictions that followed. Though the initial aim of the government was to open only 80 hotels, we thought of starting one in all 100 wards,” said K R Shaiju, coordinator of the Kudumbashree district mission.
He said the 100th Janakeeya hotel will be opened inside a public library compound. “A five-member team, who have been trained for the task, will run the hotel. On an average, a subsidy of Rs 2 lakh is being given to each hotel to ensure the quality of the food. Other charges like electricity and water supply are being borne by the local self-government institutions,” he said.
The women-run Janakeeya Hotels have been catering to daily wager earners and the underprvevilged people throughtout the pandemic days. About 440 Kudumbashree members prepare and parcellthe food.
“On an average, each hotel sells about 1,000 food packets a day and the main customers are daily wage workers and people from government offices. The same menu is also served to Covid-19 patients and people in quarantine,” said Aditya B, district project manager, Kudumbashree.
She added that a call centre will be set up to provide service to people in quarantine. “Ananthapuri Café, the Janakeeya Hotel at Overbridge, sells more than 1,000 food parcels daily. We are planning to launch home delivery in the areas where the demand is more,” Aditya said.