By Sahil Pandey
New Delhi [India], April 8 : Akshaya Patra Foundation, which runs the world's largest mid-day meal programme, is extending help in COVID-19 lockdown by feeding 30,000 migrant workers daily in Delhi.
The foundation is utilising its mega kitchens to feed people all over the country. It has served two lakh meals in Delhi and around eight lakh meals in the NCR.
"At this time of COVID-19 lockdown situation, there are many migrant labourers and daily-wage earners who are severely affected. So the government asked us (foundation) to serve meals in partnership with them and supply meals in hunger relief centres in various parts of Delhi." Bharatarshabha Dasa, Regional President, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Delhi, told here.
"We had the facility as the schools are shut and partnered with the government to serve the meals to the people in need. It is an important social cause as the whole country is in crisis and there is a need to serve food," he said.
Dasa said they were moved by words of a migrant labourer who said that 'before COVID19, hunger will kill us'.
"In Delhi, we are serving close to 30,000 meals per day both lunch and dinner from these three kitchens," he said.
The Foundation has served 34 lakh meals in the country to deal with the COVID-19 crisis.
Apart from the daily meals, the foundation has also launched a grocery kit which includes rice, wheat, spices, and other commodities along with a soap that can serve a person till 21 days.
"Cooked meals have their limitations. Therefore we thought of this plan to give daily essentials grocery kit which has ice, sugar, wheat, some spices, salt and soap so that a person can cook for himself. It weighs around 12 to 13 kg and can serve the person for 21 days. One kit can serve 42 meals. We have distributed 93,000 kits all over India," he said.
Many personalities have volunteered to provide kits. They include Infosys founder Narayana Murthy who sponsored 1.5 lakh kits and Bollywood celebrity Hrithik Roshan who facilitated 1.2 lakh meals.
Dasa said that Foundation has been serving these meals and they were doing their bit so that people affected by lockdown should not go hungry even for a day.
( With inputs from ANI )