Kerala govt commences distribution of food kits for ration card holders amid coronavirus pandemic

Kerala government on Thursday began distribution of free food kits for the ration card holders.

Food and Civil Supplies P Thilothaman inaugurated the distribution at Kottur area near here among the Scheduled Tribes community.

Each kit, worth around Rs 1,000, contains 17 items including one kg sugar, 250 gm tea powder, one kg salt, green gram, half-a-litre cooking oil, two kg atta, one kg rava, one kg black channa, soaps etc among others.

"The kit will be available only from the ration shops where the card is registered.

For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here

There is no portability facility for this purpose," a senior official said.

The state has already been giving the free ration through ration shops for everyone who holds an Aadhaar number.

Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

The free ration and the free kits will be ome delivered to those who are under home quarantine or to those houses where elderly people are staying.

Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said that the free kit distribution will begin from April first week and the state government had allotted Rs 350 crore for the purpose.