Food is being cooked and arranged on the table. Street children, people with disabilities, and homeless people come from nearby areas for a decent meal. This is seen every day on the premises of Shyamla Gachi Model Madrasa in Sharsha upazila of Jashore.

Scaling up public food distribution programmes for the poor and the vulnerable is the need of the hour -- given the cost of living crisis. But the government seems to be shying away from stepping up to this task.