Andhra Pradesh comes up with healthy diet for stranded migrant workers amid COVID-19

While the nation has been trying to strictly enforce the 21-day lockdown, a challenge cropped up when migrant workers who wanted to head back to their hometowns in other states. While many states have set up camps in various cities to accommodate the workers, the Andhra Pradesh government has gone one step further in taking care of them.

Over and above the facilities prescribed by the Centre like accommodation, food, water and other essentials, the Andhra Pradesh government is providing the stranded workers with commodities like clothes, toothpaste, soaps, shampoos, blankets, oil and other essentials. The idea is to ensure that they comfortably stay put at the relief centres during the lockdown period.

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Nutritious diet provided

Based on directions issued by Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy, authorities in each district have started following the 'Gorumudda' menu to ensure that the workers stay healthy and ensure a continuous supply of all possible nutrients. The vast menu for the migrants include boiled eggs, egg curry, chickpeas, tomato dal, asparagus, Pulihora (tamarind rice), vegetable rice, aloo kurma and khichdi. Each day, a variety of items from the menu is served.

In Andhra Pradesh, 9,695 migrant workers have been identified who are being accommodated in the 218 relief centres. Of this 3,819 belong to various districts of the state while 5,876 hail from other states.

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Here's the district-wise break-up of the number of people and relief centres:

• Ananthapur: 651 people in 20 centres
• Chittoor: 1285 people in 14 centres
• East Godavari: 690 people in 18 centres
• Guntur: 0
• Kadapa: 25 people in 15 centres
• Krishna: 1193 people in 18 centres
• Kurnool: 2331 people in 10 centres
• Nellore: 0 people in 7 centres
• Prakasam: 776 people in 69 centres
• Srikakulam: 173 people in 16 centres
• Vizainagaram: 177 people in 9 centres
• Visakhapatnam: 654 people  in 13 centres
• West Godavari: 1740 people in 19 centres

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Explosion in COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh

Meanwhile, the state has reported 21 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, taking the state's tally of positive cases to 132. That's a huge jump from just 67 cases on Wednesday.

According to a media bulletin issued by the state government on Thursday, Guntur and Nellore districts have reported the highest numbers of cases at 20 each. The government also mentioned that 758 people have been identified who attended the Markaz in Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin. The government has also traced 543 of their contacts.

(PTI photo for representation)

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