COVID - 19 Food security, shelter, livelihood security during Pandemics Part I

Community Kitchens and Go Bags

By Malini Shankar

Digital Discourse Foundation:

To prevent the lethal Coronavirus from spreading and to decrease the rate of spread of the infection along with corresponding death rates, perhaps it is inevitable for the governments to extend the Lockdown atleast till such time that the vaccine is available on a commercial basis.

The moment the governments lift the Lockdown people are becoming callous and are letting their guard down. Lockdown itseems is the most effective preventive tool atleast as far as spread of infection is concerned. Various Indian states are in various avatars of Lock down at present. 

Moment the lockdown was lifted by the governments, people became calloys, letting their guard down... triggering the second wave of the Pandemic

It was unlock 1.0 and Unlock 2.0 that triggered the second wave of the infection. We need to pull back to mitigate the spread of the virus. Yes all of us from the State to the highest tax payer are suffering loss of income. 

Pensioners and retired persons depending on their interest payments, rental incomes Government employees,… they are all suffering from dwindling monetary resources. 

Doesn’t matter if it is Unlock 1.0 or 2.0 that was the genesis of the second wave, the need of the hour is to lock-down.  And lockdown we must, till all living Indians are administered an effective vaccine against COVID 19.

With people surrendering to Lockdown it becomes the hapless task for the Government like a Father figure to provide for the people. 

However to make the Lockdown 100% effective we need active Inter agency coordination at the doorstep from the governments. For Lockdown to be effective governments will have to literally ‘cater’ to food security not just of migrant workers / daily wagers but for people from all tax brackets too. Then people do not have to go out even for minimum requirements – making lockdown effective.

The government must operate community kitchens in every village in India. 

State and Federal Government(s) must take over (the responsibility of) supply of food grains to food processing industries and to restaurants with reputation for clean food preparation and sterilised environments. Food start-ups must be engaged in supply of food resources and private transport must be involved in food supply. We will read more about supply chains in part of this article. 

It is time for the state and central governments to access the databases from Economic Survey and Aadhar. Infact one of the key thrusts for Aadhar was to inventorise consumption patterns, tax brackets, standard of living, or – in a nutshell the human development index.

COVID 19 has provided the perfect opportunity to use big data: Time to use big data for extrapolating human development index

Revenue records will easily reveal contact and property details. It falls on disaster managers to pour over these details to start catering or identify and cater to the needs of every citizen:

· 3 meals a day per head that should comprise of calorie calibrated culture sensitive palate pleasing and nutritious foods. A full list comprising recommended nutrition values is presented in the side bar at the end of this article. All packaging ware have to be biodegradable. And a garbage collecting squad can code collection protocols.

·  Soap, detergent, hand sanitiser, sanitary towels / cups, toiletries, (all wrapped and packaged in biodegradable material, 3 litres of fresh potable water per day, per capita, and 45 litres of grey water per capita, plus 10 L of fresh water for shower per head per day has to be calibrated. 

  Packaging should be biodegradable. If that is not possible a refundable deposit should be collected for garbage collection / exchange of packaging material.  Monetise solid waste management and the garbage will be so effectively managed within a week, for money speaks a language everyone understands!

·  Medicines and para medical services have to be inventoried and serviced on a per capita basis.

·   Bed linen / warm blankets and culture sensitive clothing have to be provided for the homeless.

Culture sensitive clothing is of critical significance for disaster refugees who lose home and hearth... the least psychological comfort they get is in familiar foods and clothing. 

·  Shelters have to be constructed for the homeless not just in hazard prone / vulnerable areas like in Odisha. (Odisha’s coastal districts like Puri, Ganjam and Behrampur – that are prone to deadly cyclones – are dotted with multipurpose shelters at every 3^rd kilometre)  

·     Shelters - made of earthen material to the extent possible - accommodating no more than 500 people have to be built / constructed in every village by every Panchayat. After all India's Disaster Management Act empowers the Nation, the State, district, Taluq and Panchayat level offices.   

·  Concrete structures are needed only to protect the people / disaster refugees from extreme weather events – but they are detrimental in drought hit / heat wave afflicted areas. So a mix and match of earthen material and concrete shelters are necessary.

Water wheels are the perfect manifestation of water, energy security at micro level / village level through  sustainable rates of development, eco friendly too.  

·  500 TB telecom bandwidth have to be released for every tax payer / income tax assessee per month.

·  Pet supplies / Veterinary supplies as inventoried have to be made available.

·  Each state in India has to plant 6,50,247 trees per year (and ensure they survive) for the next decade to give that much green cover sourced oxygen supply.

Sprinklers for irrigation is utterly sustainable and makes a win-win solution for stakeholders. 

   Agro forestry plots have to be taken up intensely if needed even in fallow grounds, river beds, cemeteries and marginal land…agroforestry mitigates malnutrition, contributes to organic leaf litter, cools peat emissions, offers employment opportunities, enhances rural livelihood security, enriches top soil, the organic biodegradable wastes helps restore abandoned mines, and offers food security through nutritional supplements. 

Ideal,  calorie calibrated, culture sensitive palate pleasing native nutrition filled composite meals for food security in disaster situations: 

Breakfast options (variables are a must) for Karnataka: 

Warm sprouts salad with Raita and 1 whole native fruit;  Warm sprouts salad with chutney / Raitha + fresh fruit and 1 glass of buttermilk /coffee / tea / hot / cold milk; Warm sprouts salad with fresh cut vegetables + 1 fruit,  +200 ml carton of milk; 1 bowl of steamed sprouts with Thumbulli and fruit + 1 carton of ORS solution (fruit flavoured); 1 Bowl of buckwheat and milk porridge, 1 fresh fruit;  Beaten rice or wheat with lemon flavour and seasoning; Vegetable - semolina Upma (Vangibath flavour) + 1 fresh fruit; flavoured beaten rice with seasoning, boiled vegetables, 1 cup of fresh seasonal fruit and millet soup;  beaten rice with vegetable sambar, fresh fruit and millet soup; kichidi with fruit and 1 glass of milk;  

Lunch options (interspersing variables will mitigate food boredom!) for Karnataka:

1. 2 Chapatis or Rotis (made of whole wheat bzw. Minor  millets) with 1 bowl of raw vegetable salad; 1 bowl of  vegetable sambhar + 1 bowl of rice dish, + 1 bowl of unpolished brown / red rice  + 1 bowl curds / yoghurt & pickle packet; 
2. 2 Chapathis (made of whole wheat) with 1 bowl Dal Fry + 1 cup of fresh vegetable salad; 1 bowl of rice dish: (pulav / tamarind rice / Tomato Bath / Lemon rice / similar& pickle packet
3. 1 Ragi Ball with vegetable sambhar, 1 cup of red rice and pickle packet + 1 glass of buttermilk and  1 boiled egg (to be an optional addition).

1. 1 millet flour Roti  with dry vegetable curry; 

   1 bowl of rice dish + 1 cup of fresh vegetable salad;

1. 2 chapatis with fresh vegetable salad / dal; 1 bowl of vegetable sambhar ,1 bowl of rice;
   2 chapathis with vegetable curry / sambhar + bowl of rice / Biryani / Bisibele bath / Tamarind Rice 
   2 chapathis with Chole curry + 1 bowl of rice with Chole, Curry and fresh vegetable salad + cup of curd rice  + fresh fruit and pickle 

   Dinner options have to be planned too for health and wellness: 

1. Tamarind flavoured beaten rice
2.  Beaten Rice with tempering; 1 boiled egg
3.  Beaten rice Bisibelebath / Kichidi
4. 1 bowl of Tamarind Rice + 1 boiled egg
5. 2 Parathas
6. Oatmeal with fruits and boiled vegetables
7. Omelette with vegetables
8. Wraps / Pancakes 

It is necessary to prepare and distribute only vegetarian food in community kitchens / for mass cooking. 

Other requisites include calorie calibration for a nutritious meal. Palate pleasing food does not mean taste enhancers, fatty foods permitted flavours etc. 

Native nutrition and native recipes are all these factored in.

To be continued