Kozhikode is all set to become the first hunger-free city in the country. For, the Social Welfare Department has embarked on a unique mission to provide free meals to the needy.
The Social Security Mission project, constituted by the Government for the care of the poor, aged, children, women and cancer patients, will be launched on January 26.
The hunger-free city is being planned with the support of Kozhikode Corporation in association with the NGOs.
For this, two base kitchens are being set up at the Medical College Hospital and Beach Hospital. The meals prepared at these centres would be distributed by the Corporation authorities at select centres.
These centres will be determined based on the need.
Meals will also be provided free of cost to the patients of these two hospitals. Health Minister P K Sreemathi who visited Kozhikode on Monday held discussions with the Corporation authorities to give a final shape to the programme.
Kozhikode has been selected as a pilot project under this scheme. If it succeeds, it would be extended to other parts of the state. Earlier, the Social Welfare Department had planned to provide meals for Rs 2/-.
But the Corporation authorities took up the initiative to provide it absolutely free of cost with the support of NGOs. This would be a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.
The social security mission was set up to carry out special projects for the protection of the elderly, care of children affected by cancer and improvement of institutions for the care of the weak.
It will also undertake training of organisations for social service. Besides, it would be involved in research and data collection on social issues.
The first project of the mission was to provide free cancer treatment for children below 18 years, which was launched recently. The hunger-free city is the second project being undertaken by the mission.
The mission has a corpus of Rs 65 crore and will strive to revamp institutions under the Social Welfare Department to make them more useful to the weaker sections, create facilities for distribution of free food to the poor undergoing treatment in the Government hospitals and rehabilitate destitute patients discharged from hospital.
Source : http://www.expressbuzz.com/
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