More ‘kappa’ shops will be opened!

Thanks to economic recession, the hot debate on ADB loan to Kerala is not at all a matter of discussion now. The Finance Minister Dr T M Thomas Isaac, the strong proponent of ADB loan, has now shut his mouth. He contemplates on availing a home loan of 2000crore from banks within the country for what is known as ‘EMS Housing programme’. He assured that there should be budgetary allocation for repayment of interest. And who will repay the principal is another big question to be answered.

The state of affairs was not so cordial a few years back. It was then argued that all state budgets were prepared at the behest of the Asian Development Bank and the ruling front, whether it is LDF or UDF, was turning generations to come into an inescapable debt trap. Now it is the turn of ADB to get back their loans issued to those people who supposedly believed that amounts are not for repayment. The stance by extremists of CPM that availing ADB loan was a sin has come into reality. The survival ADB is also in peril.

Interestingly, the economic meltdown has brought some upshot into the food culture of Keralaites too. During the realm of ADB loan it was the culture of ministers and populace to eat pizza and burger at star hotels. Now it is the time to eat ‘Kappa or Kachil’ at ‘Thattukada’. Anticipating this possibility Dr Isaac has inaugurated a Kappa (tapioca) shop at his PDS centre at Kanjikuzhy, Cherthala where people have the chance to eat ‘hot kappa with kanthari’. Soon more shops will be opened where people could get ‘Pinnakku’ (Coconut dung) to quell their hunger. During World War II, when there was utter poverty people ate pinnakku to protract their life!

K A Solaman