Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday launched The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s night shelter feeding initiative in the city.
In the event held at the Delhi Urban Slum Improvement Board (DUSIB) Shelter Complex in Sarai Kale Khan, the CM said “When I visited Bengaluru last time, I had the good fortune of visiting The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s kitchen where I witnessed the preparation of food in a clean and hygienic environment. The Government of Delhi and Akshaya Patra have collaborated to start this initiative to permanently feed the people living in night shelters in the city."
Minister for Urban Development Satyendar Jain said, “Today marks the beginning of Akshaya Patra’s initiative to feed around 6,000 people living in the 209 shelters in the city run by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) for free of cost. Akshaya Patra is also providing meals to over 3,000 labourers at various construction sites.”
As a part of the Night Shelter Feeding Initiative, the Foundation will work with the Government of Delhi to serve lunch and dinner in 209 night shelters run by the DUSIB. Over 5000 homeless people, which include families, old aged persons, widows/single women, individuals battling addiction, individuals needing medical care, etc., will benefit from the initiative every day, said a statement.
Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, said with the support of the Central government and state governments, we have been able to provide food assistance to millions of people from vulnerable communities in these times of adversity.”
Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice Chairman of the Foundation, said, “We have served over 1 crore meals to people in need in Delhi NCR since last March, courtesy, the collaborative efforts of everyone involved.”
Since March 2020, Akshaya Patra has been working with the government and donors to extend food assistance to vulnerable populations, such as daily wagers, migrant labourers, etc., affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last year in March, when the Delhi government had started Hunger Relief Centres in the city to help the vulnerable populations, Akshaya Patra partnered with the government to extend food assistance. Night Shelter Feeding Initiative is a new programme launched by the Foundation to feed people who take shelter at the facilities provided by the administration, said the statement.