KMC sets up kiosks to offer ₹10-a-mask

Move to provide livelihood to women SHGs who produced thousands of masks

As wearing face mask has become mandatory to stem the spread of coronavirus, the Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC) has set up ten ‘mask kiosks’ here to make available face masks at a nominal price of ₹10 each for denizens of the town.

Multiple objectives

The initiative is expected to serve multiple objectives of strict enforcement of the face mask rule, provide livelihood to the members of women self-help groups engaged in making masks and above all, bolster the collective fight against COVID-19.

The members of the town-based women SHGs had produced thousands of cloth masks under the aegis of Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas as per orders placed by the KMC to supply face masks to its sanitation workers and other field staff in the past two months.

The move gained significance at a time when the civic body renewed its focus on strict enforcement of the face mask rule and slap the stipulated fine of ₹1,000 each on violators of the regulation in public spaces.

The timely initiative of the KMC in setting up the mask kiosks at the bus station, District Headquarters Hospital and other public places here earned the praise of Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar.

Speaking after inaugurating a mask kiosk near Gandhi Chowk here on Wednesday, the Minister appreciated Collector R.V. Karnan and Municipal Commissioner Anuraag Jayanthi for the multi-pronged initiative. It’s a well intended step to make available face masks at a nominal price to the public, he noted, saying the move will help in effective enforcement of the face mask rule as part of preventive measures to keep the coronavirus at bay.