Hyderabad: Alleviating hunger pangs in Coronavirus times

According to GHMC records, 30,000 to 35,000 people were catered to every day till February across the city. But the numbers spiked to around 50,000 melas per day since the lockdown. A total of 1,30,18,162 meals have been served free of cost since lockdown

Hyderabad: Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has started Rs 5-a-meal with the aim of satisfying the poor at least one time a day. When the present Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar was GHMC Commissioner he initiated the scheme in 2014. The scheme won praise of all quarters of the country.

The cost per meal is Rs 24.25 and includes 450gm boiled rice, 100gm dal, sambar, curry and pickle. Prior to lockdown, GHMC used to bear Rs 19.25 and the remaining Rs 5 was paid by the beneficiary. But since the lockdown, the civic body waived off the money paid by the beneficiary and started serving dinner too at many centers.

Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao directed Mayor Bonthu Rammohan to increase the number of canteens, following which the mayor visited Akshayapatra Kitchen and enquired with the foundation on the challenges in ramping up their services and assured help from the civic body side. The number of canteens increased from 150 to 300 that include mobile canteens through which food is being served.

According to GHMC records, 30,000 to 35,000 people were catered to every day till February across the city. But the numbers spiked to around 50,000 melas per day since the lockdown. A total of 1,30,18,162 meals have been served free of cost since lockdown. The eight-digit number include 83,25,624 meals catered in the afternoons and 47,42,538 meals in the evenings.

A large number of requests for the meals keep pouring in from containment zones. The Covid-19 control room located in GHMC received 29,900 calls from people living in containment zones and 15 lakh food packets have been supplied accordingly. The control room gets 25 to 30 requests on daily basis now.