Rice And Wheat for flood relief in Kerala

From the desk of Mrs. Baby Abraham . . . . . .

Rice And Wheat  for flood relief  in Kerala

The Central government has given the flood relief rice to be distributed to all people in Kerala. It is not to be kept in go downs for long term use. Now the people are struggling all over Kerala . This distribution , 3bags x 50 kg or 5 bags x 50 kg or 10 bags x 50 kg  or 20 or 30 0r 50 bag  x 50 kg depending on whether it is for individual families, for school, college hostels, hotels, thattu kada, for hospitals,  orphanages, senior citizens homes , convents , seminaries, ashrams, yoga centers , mid day meals,  etc . It has to be distributed immediately. If Wednesday is the dead line, the work has to be done very quickly.

Some can be stored in the existing go downs.

Some  can be stored in railway  goods wagons or coaches  and they can be parked in all the railway stations for the time being and people can come and buy it conveniently. No rats will enter. No pilferage will occur.  No humidity or water leakage problem.

Paddy is more cumbersome to store in rooms of houses. But rice bags can be kept in kitchen, drawing rooms, bed rooms  out houses. Conveniently. Specially when the water stagnation  has made the rooms wet and humid, any place that is dry can be used for .

Most of the Kerala houses has ‘” ARA “ for the storage of paddy year after  year. We can make use of these “ ARA”  in all houses for storing any excess of rice.

Syntax containers of 1000 liter or 5000 liter can keep the rice safe for many years.  Add some NEEM leaves also in it as preservative.

Air conditioned rooms in houses, offices, factories, can be used for keeping the rice for a long period.

If there are solar powered halls, large storage places are available, the rice will keep for two or three years  without going rotten.

Schools can store any number of rice bags , 10 bags in each class room will keep their need of rice well contained for  one year. It can be used for midday meal as well as for sharing .

Children , if they want can be given from them. The staff also can take  as much as they want  . When they had the agriculture schemes in schools, they all shared the produce. Same way they can share the stock of rice now. If the central government dispatch pulses, grams and flour , oil  etc that also can be stored and shared in the same way.

Hotels and restaurants can take and store as much as they need.

Hospitals, clinics can store many bags.

 Senior citizens homes can be given for their need for an year or more. Orphanages can take full stock for their need.

Thattu kad owners can have their share, as much as they want.

Once distributed the official responsibility of keeping the rice in extra go downs is solved. The responsibility then rest upon those who take the rice.

Distribution

1.     Ration shops

2.     Post offices

3.     Temples. Mosques, churches

4.     Karshaka  sree,   kudumba  sri,

5.     Co-operative societies, community development agencies,

6.       Agricultural department

7.     Food  distribution centers of government

Storage.

1.     Keep plenty of Neem leaves to keep away weevils and bugs

2.     Keep in  “ ARA “ which is there in most of Kerala houses.

3.     Railway coaches, goods wagon keep the rice well protected. Keep some neem leaves also.

4.     Syntax containers of 500 liters,  - 5000 liters or more will preserve the rice from rodents and weevils and bugs .

5.     Occasionally fumigate with some smoke  to prevent bugs and weevils .

6.     Tribal areas can  be provided with syntax containers  of various sizes. It will be a great help for those families. Later on they can be used for various other purposes, to store from water to fruits, pickles,  pulses etc

7.     If railway coaches can be brought to the  mountains and hills, the tribal can store all their grains, pulses and other things well protected for  the next 50- 100 years minimum . That will be a great boon for them.

8.     All the discarded railway coaches can be painted and put to use :

 

-       as house

-       as storage place

-        as small work shop

-        as tailoring units and displaying the products.

-       For weaving baskets and keeping them 

-       For art work

            Central government’s offer of rice must be fully utilized .

Payment  may be wavered  sometime since it is for flood relief .