Deena Theresa By Express News Service KOCHI: In keeping with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s word that none in the state shall go hungry in the backdrop of the Covid-19-induced lockdown, the authorities have promptly swung into action and set up community kitchens under the aegis of various local-self governments, comprising the panchayats, city corporation and the district Kudumbashree Missions, in Ernakulam. Corp-run kitchens As per the directive issued by the government, every 10 wards in a municipality must have at least one community kitchen to feed those in isolation, home quarantine, people in palliative care and senior citizens. Following this, the Kochi Corporation has set up five community kitchens in the city, namely at North Town Hall, the corporation’s Edappally Office, Community Centre near Vyttila Ponnurunni Temple, Mattanchery Town Hall and Palluruthy Community Hall. Health inspectors have been appointed to oversee the functioning of these kitchens. Currently, the corporation community kitchens distribute lunch comprising rice, sambar, thoran, rasam and pickle for over 3,000 people. Civic bodies and Kudumbashree While Kudumbashree members work alongside volunteers in kitchens associated with local-self governments, the District Kudumbashree Mission has decided to convert its initial plan of 1,000 budget hotels into 800 and more community kitchens with an amount of `23.64 crore allotted to them as the plan fund this financial year. “We had planned to launch 1,000 low-cost hotels wherein every meal costs `20 -- but that’s when the outbreak and lockdown took place. So, we decided to commence community kitchens along the same concept. These won’t be hotels but various cooking areas that serve afternoon meals for `20 with `5 as service charge if they’re delivered to homes. Panchayats provide these meals free-of-cost via sponsorship to the needy,” said S Harikishore, executive director, Kudumbashree State Mission. These community kitchens comprise six to 10 Kudumbashree workers. Are they able to practise social distancing? “We have issued a directive and asked them to follow the current protocol. It takes a while to streamline the entire process,” said T P Geevarghese, district mission coordinator. While there are presently 60 such community kitchens across Kochi, Kudumbashree had kicked off the chain by starting small-scale kitchens in Kottuvally, Chengamanad, Vengola panchayats and a Kudumbashree people’s eatery in Tripunithura on Thursday itself. “Our timings, for now, have been restricted to 12pm to 2pm. These will be relaxed once the mechanism is set in stone,” said Geevarghese. While these kitchens can feed around 500 people at present, these will be expanded to over 1,000.“We are identifying and compiling details on the same. The number of kitchens will also increase by the day,” he said. Meals can be booked via respective panchayats who will provide two numbers on the same. Menu Corp: Rice, sambar, rasam, thoran and pickle Kudumbashree: Rice, sambhar or kalan, payaru, pickle, biriyani, chappathi, stew Timing: 12pm to 2pm Corp-run kitchens North Town Hall, Corporation’s Edappally office Community Centre near Vyttila Ponnurunni Temple, MattancheryTown Hall Palluruthy Community Hall

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