It was a matter of great relief for middle-class people, and the poor in Kerala, when Janakeeya hotels(public restaurants) started under the auspices of Kudumbashree. It was a frugal meal experience, hitherto unknown to people in the state. The afternoon meal was sold for just Rs 20.

The government in the 2019-20 budget, announced plans of providing a subsidy of 10 rupees per meal. With the backing of the government, many such hotels emerged across different locations in the state. At first, the government kept its word and the hotels did well, albeit not making big profits.

However now, battered by a crippling economy, the government is mired in many works that need bigger prominence than the Kudumbashree crisis. The government inaction has been reflected in the business as the hotels run by Kudumbashree workers are on the verge of shutting down. Some loyal workers within the Kudumbashree have taken loans and asked for personal credits to help the hotel stay alive. There are districts in Kerala where the government is delaying subsidy payments of more than Rs 8 crore for Kudumbashree hotels. For the many loyal workers, the debt serves more like a punishment for magnanimously feeding thousands of hungry stomachs.

Albeit economic distress, there is hope among workers about subsidy payments getting sanctioned soon, but one question remains pivotal: For how long will these hotels survive?

The current state of these hotels is terrible and it will be only through government aid that a resurgence can happen. Some other within the Kudumbasree are not buying any of the government promises and carries no hope of government help since they claim it is the same government that has not been able to help ailing patients financially.

Many people might have noticed that Kudumbashree activists staged a protest on the steps of the secretariat two days ago. They came as a group to highlight before the government, the plight they are facing in running these public hotels. These protests happened on the same day when the state chief secretary admitted to the High Court that the government was completely bankrupt.

Such hotels need to be restored to help the poorest sections fill their stomach with easy money. The government should waste no time to come up with plans to settle the subsidy arrears of these hotels. If it goes awry again, it will be a premature death of an excellent idea that already won many hearts in Kerala.