The Coronavirus pandemic has been harsh on livelihoods, with some employees retrenched and others struggling to find a job. The workforce is largely functioning from home and surviving on limited means. Hunger has been a major problem afflicting people across the globe. The United Nations' World Food Programme has estimated that an additional 130 million people could face food insecurity by the end of 2020. A Delhi eatery decided to take matters in its own hands by starting a lunch service offering a complete thali at the mere price of Re. 1.
'Shyam Rasoi' is the name of the food stall near Shiv Mandir in Delhi's Nangloi area. The USP of their venture is that they offer a complete lunch thali at just Re. 1. The timings for availing the unique lunch thali are 11 am to 1 pm. Parvin Kumar Goyal is the 51-year-old behind this venture, which has been up and running to feed the hungry for two months now. Goyal told ANI that they feed approximately 2,000 people every day - among which 1,000 are physically present at the eatery while another 1,000 in nearby areas are provided parcels with the help of e-rickshaws.
(Also Read: Delhi Government Begins 'Hunger Helpline' To Ensure Food Supply During Lockdown)
The area for setup is actually a vacant factory which has been provided for the cause by a local businessman, Ranjeet Singh. The dishes in the thali include rice, roti, soya pulao, paneer, soybean and halwa. Morning tea is also served priced at Re. 1. There are six workers at Shyam Rasoi, each of whom are paid Rs. 300-400 depending upon the sales for the day. Apart from this, locals and students often come forward to help.
Earlier, they had pegged the cost of the thali at Rs. 10, but they soon reduced it to Re. 1 to attract more people. Talking about the funding for his noble initiative, Goyal said, "We get donations from people. Yesterday, an old lady came and offered us ration, another day somebody gave us wheat, and thus we are running it for the last two months. People do help us via digital payment mode also. We have the capacity to run for seven more days." He added, "Also, I request all to help us with ration and continue this service."
(Also Read: World Food Programme Wins Nobel Peace Prize 2020 For Efforts To Combat Hunger)
We hope to see more such citizens coming forward to help out the hungry and provide food for all at minimal rates.