Kerala: No Annam Punyam for needy

Thiruvananthapuram: The Annam Punyam scheme to provide free food coupons to needy people has not reached destitute in the capital as much as it did in Kozhikode. While the contribution has steadily increased over the time, it is not massive enough for the district administration to encourage destitute to use it, say officials.

 “Only informed destitute who can walk and know how to approach officials can avail the facility now,”  said a social worker who is part of an organisation that delivers food to needy. “The real needy ones are often alms-seekers who settle with what they get through begging. We need to deliver food to them directly.”

 The district collector was to sanction funds for this but nothing has materialised yet,” said another  official. The Annam Punyam scheme was started then district collector Biju Prabhakar by the end of 2015 on the lines of Operation Sulaimani of Kozhikode. 

It was stopped soon after the launch, only to be resumed with phase 2 in January this year. Hungry people in and around nine hospitals such as Thiruvananthapuram medical college, Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital and Neyyatinkara General Hospital are served food between 2pm and 8pm. There was a plan to allot a hall at medical college just to serve food.

 The needy had to produce food coupons that were available from 13 village offices in capital. The project was to be extended to hospitals at Poonthura, Shanthivila and Pulayanarkotta.