Published Mar 13, 2026 | 5:49 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 13, 2026 | 5:49 PM
Students at SNDP HSS, Aluva, with their school cook, Bindu.
Synopsis: State-run and aided schools and anganwadis in parts of Kerala are facing uncertainty over LPG supplies, even as the state government has maintained there is no alarming shortage. Several school kitchens running the midday meal scheme said their cylinders are running out, and some are preparing to use firewood if refills do not arrive. Anganwadi staff also reported tight supplies, though officials said most centres still have enough stock.
Beginning this month, children across Kerala’s schools began sitting their board exams. Staggered examination dates to allow for preparation mean not every student attends school every day. Within a few weeks, schools will also close entirely for the summer holidays, which last two months.
For Bindu KM, the cook at SNDP Higher Secondary School in Aluva, a suburb of Kochi, it should have meant a lower workload. But the short supply of natural gas, ongoing since Sunday, 8 March, has now left her anxious.
Commercial kitchens, autorickshaws and MSMEs that use commercial gas cylinders are already reeling as supply crawls to a halt.
SNDP HSS, Aluva, School Kitchen
Midday meal kitchens in Kerala, however, use domestic LPG cylinders. State and central governments have insisted these are not in short supply and have dismissed rumours of imminent scarcity.
The schools fall under the General Education Department, and General Education Minister V Sivankutty said officials are closely monitoring the situation.
Yet many state-run and state-aided schools and anganwadis that South First visited were operating on the margins and scrambling to make alternative plans if shortages do arise.
The SNDP HSS in Aluva, a state-aided school, currently has one spare LPG cylinder in addition to the one in use. Each contains 14.2 kg of LPG and costs ₹922. Two other cylinders are empty and have been waiting for refilling for several days.
At the school, around 422 students depend on the Midday Meal Scheme. Currently, Bindu serves as its sole cook, but if the number of students exceeds 500, two cooks can be appointed. On regular days, students are served rice and three curries, with egg biriyani on Wednesdays. Every student also receives a glass of milk daily.
“One LPG cylinder lasts a maximum of three days, usually 2.5 days. So we need at least three cylinders per week. Usually, the gas agency refills immediately when informed, but now they say there is a shortage,” Bindu told South First.
“The midday meal menu has been upgraded, and we use the cylinders continuously for at least five hours every day. I can manage with the current stock till Saturday, but don’t know what to do after that.”
The school headmistress, Natasha, said the school recently received a directive from the Additional Director of General Education granting temporary permission to use firewood in a hearth to cook midday meals if LPG supply does not resume.
“With strict guidelines. Firewood is allowed only in schools where cooking gas is unavailable, and schools must revert to gas immediately once local supply is restored. Noon meal officers are tasked with ensuring compliance and continuity without disrupting the midday meal scheme,” she added.
The school has already ordered a consignment of firewood, Sivin KS, an office attender, said.
“We have already booked firewood, which costs ₹5,000–6,000 per load. Storage is a challenge as we need a proper area near the kitchen,” he added.
“For the past six years, there was a strict prohibition on using firewood in schools.”
SNDP HSS in Udayamperoor, Ernakulam, another aided school, does not have the option to turn to firewood.
The school provides midday meals to around 800 students, with two cooks managing the preparation.
Empty LPG cylinders at the school
Its stocks are empty, and despite Headmistress Deepa TR’s repeated efforts, the gas agency said it has no current stock.
The school has three days of leeway over the weekend, but it needs fresh LPG supply by Tuesday.
“Saturday and Sunday we have no classes, and Monday is mostly for SSLC exams while other students are on leave, so they can skip meals on these days,” she told South First.
“But to provide midday meals on Tuesday, we need either an LPG cylinder or firewood. The gas agency says a new supply is expected soon, so we hope the cylinders will be refilled. We normally use at least three cylinders a week.”
Unlike some other schools, Udayamperoor HSS does not have a hearth to fall back on.
“Our school building is new, and the old hearth was demolished as part of the renovation. I have no idea where to store firewood or cook if LPG isn’t available. We’ll need to set up a hearth immediately if the cylinders don’t arrive within two days,” Deepa said.
South First found the situation was similar across government schools in the Kochi area.
Anganwadis fall under Minister Veena George’s Department of Women and Child Development (WCD). So far, no official directives or meetings have been issued to anganwadis on the LPG shortage.
Reena PT, the Child Development Project Officer overseeing 128 anganwadis in the Vazhakulam block, told South First that anganwadis have not been affected by the crisis so far.
Children at an anganwadi during lunch hour.
“We are not affected much, as each anganwadi has two cylinders. There has always been a strict directive to refill cylinders immediately after they are empty, even before the current crisis. Most anganwadis have enough stock and no teachers have reported any shortage to me,” she added.
She said an LPG cylinder in an anganwadi typically lasts around 45 days and that no official meeting has taken place to discuss the issue.
One LPG cylinder at the anganwadi is empty, and another is half-used.
Staff on the ground, however, described a different situation.
At Anganwadi Centre 6 in the Vazhakulam ICDS block, Ernakulam, there were only two cylinders, one empty and one half-used. Each day, the centre serves three meals for 16 children.
“With the revised menu, we now prepare multiple varieties of dishes. This morning, we served kozhukattai (steamed rice dumplings) with a glass of milk. Lunch at 12.30 pm includes rice, three side dishes and a curry,” Lekha KT, the anganwadi teacher, told South First.
“After games and naps, we feed the children again at 3 pm with wheat or semolina upma. Each meal is prepared fresh, keeping our helper in the kitchen for hours.”
The centres also cannot use firewood for cooking, as smoke is harmful to young children.
“We are continuously trying to contact gas agencies to refill the empty cylinder, but even calls are not connecting,” Daisy, the helper, said.
Minister for Local Self Government MB Rajesh told South First there was no alarming shortage of LPG in the state.
“The Chief Minister has already convened a meeting with the Chief Secretary and ministers. There is no alarming LPG shortage in the state, but we are closely monitoring the situation in all government institutions. Once supply is fully restored, priority will be given to schools and anganwadis,” he said.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
