As per the civic body data, on Sunday (last day of the scheme), close to 22 lakh meals were distributed. On average, close to 7 lakh persons were receiving free food from the civic body three times a day. The civic body had crossed one crore free meal on Friday.

In a move to compensate for the loss of livelihood of the people living in slum areas during the recent rains, the Greater Chennai Corporation launched the scheme on December 6.

There are around 5.3 lakh families living in slum areas with 26 lakh individuals. The city has more than 800 notified slum areas. Even though there 26 lakh individuals in slum areas, only around 7 lakh persons came to receive the food. “Initially, less than 6 lakh persons only came to get food. After two days, more people came forward. Some people brought vessels and received food for the entire family and ate in their homes,” an official said.

The civic body spent Rs 25 lakh for each of the 15 zones, which would be reimbursed by the State government, the official added.

Also, kitchens were set up at 300 locations so that the cooked food could be distributed to the beneficiaries on time. In total, 53.91 lakh breakfast were distributed and 54.95 lakh lunches were distributed. More than 55 lakh dinners were also supplied.