KOCHI: With lockdown restrictions easing in many places, the number of community kitchens run by local self-government (LSG) bodies is coming down. Of the 1,149 kitchens begun by LSGs in the state, only 918 remained as on Monday. The numbers are expected to go down further as beneficiaries return to work.LSG Minister A C Moideen said community kitchens are not being closed in one go. “There are places where the kitchens are a necessity. Especially in areas where restrictions are yet to be lifted and people haven’t gone back to work,” he said.
He said running full-fledged kitchens is uneconomical in areas where restrictions have been eased and beneficiaries have started working. The kitchens have been closed in areas where there are les than 10 beneficiaries.“In such areas, the responsibility of providing food to beneficiaries and to those in quarantine has been handed over to the Kudumbashree,” Moideen said. He said migrants leaving the state has nothing to do with the closing of kitchens.
“How many migrants have left? Just a few. Those numbers can’t be said to be significant enough to make any difference,” he said.The number of kitchens closing down is high in districts declared as green zones, like Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Thrissur. In districts like Malappuram and Kozhikode, community kitchens continue to function at full strength, said an official with the directorate of panchayats.
The official said Kudumbashree’s Janakeeya Hotels have been launched in most areas where community kitchens have closed. “But the food at this hotel doesn’t come free unlike the community kitchen,” said the official.
NGO-run kitchens stopping food packet distribution
Various NGOs have stopped their community kitchens after a drop in the number of beneficiaries picking up food packets. Nanma Foundation secretary T K Haridas said in 40 days, the foundation distributed more than 4.5 lakh food packets. “We stopped the distribution on Sunday after the government eased the lockdown restrictions making it possible for people to go to work,” he said.
4.5L food packets given away by Nanma Foundation in 40 days