Coronavirus: Kerala government home delivers mid-day meal amidst COVID-19 scare
Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan is instructing daily home delivery of mid-day meals to nursery school children during the coronavirus outbreak.
The Kerala state government has been proactively implementing measures to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
When a surge was seen in the number of cases, making Kerala the most affected by coronavirus in India, the government promptly ordered the shutdown of schools, Madrasas, and Anganwadis. So far, 22 cases of the virus have been reported in Kerala.
(Image: India Times)
After three people tested positive for the virus, a state emergency was declared on February 3. The state and its healthcare system are keeping people under observation in isolation wards. In addition, cinema halls and major tourist attractions have been shut down to avoid large gatherings
In another commendable move, prioritising the welfare of its citizens, the government decided to deliver mid-day meals to the homes of its Anganwadi children.
The mid-day meal – made up of rice, pulses, vegetables, eggs, banana, and 150 ml of milk twice a week – is a scheme under the Department of Women and Child Development.
"As the Anganwadis have been shut, the scheme was designed to ensure that nutritious foods necessary for the growth of these children are provided to them," Minister of Health and Social Welfare KK Shailaja said, as reported by The Logical Indian. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had a major role to play in this execution.
The idea is to act on the state’s responsibility to feed school children from nursery to class seven.
It is said that 3.75 lakh children will benefit from this initiative across 33,115 Anganwadi centres across Kerala. Nutritional services have already been provided to about three lakh lactating mothers, two lakh adolescents, and 4.75 lakh children under the age of three. As of now, about 13.5 lakh people are being provided with these services in the state.
“The state has the capability to diagnose and track viruses and other infections,” stated virologist Dr Shahid Jameel, in a conversation with The Week.
As of now, all three infected people have recovered. Kerala has received praise for doing a commendable job in taming and understanding the novel virus.
(Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta)
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