In a bid to provide relief to the needy, a Delhi-based NGO has started serving unlimited food at a bare minimum cost of Rs 10 in an air-conditioned environment.
Located near Maujpur- Babarpur metro station, the outlet named 'One meal' not only provides unlimited food, but also serves people with mineral water to drink.
The initiative is the brainchild of NGO founder Kiran Verma. Speaking to ANI, he said, "The initiative aims to provide relief to people affected by COVID-19. Charge of Rs 10 is to ensure that food is not wasted."
Elaborating on the idea of started the initiative he said that during the COVID-19 lockdown, one of his friends had asked him for financial assistance, as he was one of the victims of job loss. It was then Verma decided to expand relief work to many of those affected by the pandemic.
"Initially we started giving rations to people, but found out they were further selling it for money. Then we started serving cooked meal free of cost. During that time, we witnessed that people were wasting food. It was then I looked up to other initiatives started by people who were serving food at Re 1, Rs 5 and Rs 10," he said.
Calling the needy that turn up at his food outlet as his 'guests' he said, "Just as we out-do ourselves while serving our guests at home, similarly, they are also our guests and something should be done for them."
Verma said that when he started the initiative, he did not have sufficient finances. "I along with my wife relied on our savings initially. We swiped credit cards, took a loan, mortgaged her jewelry but did not let the initiative come to a halt."
The food outlet is open from 11 am to 2 pm and the menu changes daily, he said.
"The menu always has chapati, rice, vegetable and lentils. On Saturdays and Sundays, we have a special menu which has a sweet dish also," Verma added.
A lot of people turn up at this outlet. He claims that a footfall of around 800-1,000 people is witnessed on weekdays and on weekends it ranges from 1,200-1,500.
( With inputs from ANI )
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