Ranchi:
The Jharkhand government on Sunday decided to extend till May 31 the ‘Didi Kitchens’ set up to feed the poor amid the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.
Over 7,000 ‘Didi Kitchens’ have so far served nutritious food to more than two crore needy people during the lockdown, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said.
‘Didi Kitchens’ are run by self-help groups with the state government’s assistance to provide free meals to the poor and destitute people.
Taking to Twitter, Soren said, “So, far 7000 Didi Kitchen have served nutritious food packets to more than two crore needy people (it has) discharged an important role in our battle against hunger. So the state government has taken a decision that Didi Kitchens across the state will function till May 31 to serve the people.”
The chief minister had earlier said that other states were adopting Jharkhand’s ‘Didi Kitchen’ concept to feed lakhs of people during the nationwide lockdown.
In another tweet, the chief minister said that Ranchi has emerged as a “role model” in the fight against novel coronavirus.
“The entire credit for this goes to the District Administration of Ranchi, doctors, health workers, policemen, sanitation workers and selfless social organisations who are engaged in serving the people,” Soren tweeted.
Urging people “to maintain social distancing but keep hearts connected and united”, Soren said, “Ranchi has not only won the fight against Corona (sic), but has also set a unique example of social harmony.”
According to a government statement, out of 104 positive cases detected in the state capital till date, 83 patients have recovered, the “highest recovery rate” compared to other cities in the country.
There are now 21 active COVID-19 cases in Ranchi, the statement said.
“If the same momentum persists, Ranchi will be out of the red zone in the next few days,” the statement added.
