Mumbai The Maharashtra government will run community kitchens with the help of private and non-government organisations, especially to help old citizens, the physically challenged, and the poor and homeless.
This was decided at a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday to review the lockdown and availability of essential commodities for citizens.
"Already, the Nagpur district collector, in close association with the private sector, has launched "community Langar" in the city to help the underprivileged and the homeless.
On the same lines, "community kitchen" can be launched across the state by the collectors of all districts, jointly with private sector players and citizen groups, for the benefit of old citizens staying alone, the physically challenged, poor and the homeless," said Pawar.
He also said the government has asked the district administration to provide "ready to eat" or "ready to cook" ingredients to citizens to avoid inconvenience during the lockdown.
Pawar informed that the civic bodies in Baramati in Pune district and Wai in Satara district have already swung into action to organise regular supply of essential commodities to citizens directly at their homes or in the premises of their apartments. This is to avoid gatherings to curb coronavirus spread.
Meanwhile, Pawar announced that the government will take punitive action against the landlord or the society if they ask the doctors and medical staff attending to coronavirus patients to leave their respective tenements.
The government has issued an order asking the doctors and medical staff to complain at the nearby police stations if they were asked to vacate their homes by landlords or the society.
Furthermore, the government has directed the district and police administration to allow movement of trucks after offloading essential commodities. The government issued orders after it received complaints against the action taken by the police by not allowing the movement of essential commodity vehicles after clearing their stock in the markets.