Thiruvananthapuram | The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to provide about six lakh free provision kits to poor people and inmates of welfare institutions in the state ahead of the upcoming Onam festival.

As many as 13 essential commodities would be distributed among the beneficiaries as part of the Onam Kit, a CMO statement said.

A cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took a decision to distribute 5,99,000 kits among people having Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) ration cards and the inmates of welfare institutions, it said.

The onam kits would be distributed through ration shops, and a total of Rs 34.29 crore has been sanctioned to the State Civil Supplies Corporation, popularly knows as Supplyco, for the purpose, it added.

Among other decisions, the cabinet also decided that 1,368 additional teaching posts would be allotted in state-run and government-aided schools in the state.

Based on the staff fixation conducted in government and aided schools in the state for the academic year 2023-2024, 957 additional teaching posts have been sanctioned in 513 government schools, and 1,368 additional teaching posts have been sanctioned in 699 aided schools, the CMO added.