Bengaluru, Apr 4: As calamity struck the nation in the form of coronavirus, many philanthropists have generously opened their wallets to sustain the urban poor, especially the migrant labourers in the city and elsewhere in Karnataka.
These individuals either directly or through organisations opened up their kitchens to ensure that no one goes to bed hungry in this distressing time.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the nodal agency to feed urban poor, responded positively to requests by these organisations and individuals to supply food to the needy on their behalf.
"We had been serving food through our Indira canteens, which we continue to do even now. However, many philanthropists and corporates have come forward to feed the needy," the BBMP joint commissioner Sarfaraz Khan told reporters.
According to BBMP, Indira canteens used to provide two lakh meals a day on normal occasions.
However, since the lockdown has been clamped, the number swelled by almost 50 per cent.
"On Thursday alone, we served 2.85 lakh food, which comprises breakfast, lunch and breakfast," a Palike officer said.
The major aid came from Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO) and Azim Premji Foundation.
While JITO is feeding around 22,000 people, Azim Premji Foundation is taking care of 20,000 people.
Sajjanraj Mehta, an office bearer of JITO, told reporters that his organisation has been providing packaged cooked food since March 27.
"We got in touch with Bengaluru Mayor M Gautham Kumar, Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao and the BBMP commissioner B H Anil Kumar. According to their list, 27,000 food packets were required daily," Mehta told.
The JITO members have arranged vehicles of their respective businesses to transport food packets to different locations as part of the campaign named as 'COVID-19 manav seva'.
The organisation has also decided to utilise the kitchen of Princess Golf, a marriage hall on Palace Grounds here to prepare food.
Palike officials said on Thursday alone JITO supplied 53,000 meals.
"We asked them to cover migrant labourers in those areas where Indira Canteen could not reach. We mapped the cluster and provided them info. Now, they are distributing it there," they said.
Another organisation engaged in charitable work is ISKCON Bengaluru.
Ever since the lockdown, it has been working in various parts of India providing food to various people.
"We are providing materials such as rice, wheat flour, Daal, oil, vegetables with long shelf life, salt, sugar and spices. Each packet can sustain for at least 21 days," Madhu Pandit Dasa, president of ISKCON Bengaluru.
The organisation has set a target to cover at least two lakh people but so far it has reached out to 30,000 people including 25,000 in Bengaluru alone.
"We are feeding about 50,000 people in Delhi, with the Telangana government we are feeding about 40,000 people in Hyderabad, about 10,000 people in Ahmedabad in association with the Gujarat government," Dasa told.
According to BBMP, other organisations providing food to the needy are KMFY, TVS Group, Vimal Bhandari, Radisson Blue Atria Hotel, Hitech Ecowood, Mohammed Shajid, Prestige Group.
Wipro Ltd also pitched in to feed the poor by opening up its industrial kitchen infrastructure.
In a statement, Global Head- Operations of the company Hariprasad Hegde said the humanitarian crisis we are faced with as part of the Covid-19 crisis has multiple dimensions to it, of which the need to deliver cooked meals to the stranded migrant workers and other vulnerable communities is probably the most critical and immediate one.
Recognising this, Wipro has decided to use the industrial kitchen infrastructure in our facilities to provide cooked meals, he said.
This kicked off on April 2 with the delivery of 43,000 meals from our Bangalore facility in Kodathi to the government.
"We have made use of our own procurement logistics to source the food provisions. This is a collaborative process, with the government taking responsibility for the logistics of last mile delivery to the communities that need it the most,” he said.
In the case of Bangalore, the Karnataka government has come forward to provide this kind of complementary delivery support. We are reaching out to other state governments and local administrations for similar efforts." he said.
Comments
The life of this world compared to the Hereafter is as if one of you were to put his finger in the ocean and take it out again, then compare the water that remains on his finger to the water that remains in the ocean. Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, Sahih muslim.
Winning the love of makhlook and getting the hatred of the Khaliq in return is a very bad deal. Insha Allah we will live in this duniya for maximum 100-150 years. The we have to face Allah. What will you reply to Allah? You think doing such things will benefit you, give you izzat. Please understand that benefit, loss, izzat, zillat, disease, shifa all are from Allah alone. Keep Allah happy. These makhlooks cannot do anything for you. If you win the whole world and Allah is angry with you then its very bad. If you win Allah and then even if you get nothing in the world, it is the best deal in the world.
Brother Abu Bakar, we want you and all muslims to go to Jannah and avoid jahannum. Please say the kalima once and read tauba namaaz with a sincere niyat of not doing such kind of deeds again.
May allah give 'hidaya' to these so called 'muslims'
Lack of religion knowledge for this Organization, to bring peace and harmony between different community, to win other communities heart just follow our Prophet's way, even look at other great historian traders like Malik al Dinar / great Muslim Scholor like Kwaja Moinuddin Chisty, how they won other communities heart.
Innala Lillaahi Wa Innaa Ilahyi Raajihoon
Well Done Muslim Brothers.. This should be the way to spread message of peace and harmony. Don't follow the people who copycat Arabs thinking they are following true God. Nothing is proven yet. Don't worry keep the good work going.
Inna Lillahi Wainna Ilaihi rajioon. Muslims left the work of dawah to non muslims & indulging in shirk. Whatever Horekanike you have given is totally Haraam and the sad thing is that people who are doing they are expecting good from others but not from Allah. Haji abubakar parkala, Name indicates that he might have done HAJJ. What is the use of Hajj if they do shirk with allah. May allah give us hidayath.
Dear all,
People of this organisation(UDMPSS) neither muslims nor Hindus, they are only pretending, they can't be trusted anywhere!. beware of them.
These foods should distribute to the poor... they will make dua for the committee... THESE FOODS WILL BE THROWN TO THE GARBAGE AFTER 2-3 DAYS..... NOR THEY WILL EAT NOR THEY WILL DISTRIBUTE TO POOR.... USELESS FELLOW
NOW NEXT HINDUS TURN TO SHOW TO PROMOTE HARMONY...
THEY SHOULD DISTRIBUTE COW TO MUSLIMS AT THE TIME OF BAKRI EID.....
This is really a crazy.....not good at all.....common guys there are many poor Muslim children who are suffering from malnutrition....go and distribute this food items to them....instead of this chaddi worthless creature....this is really a tragedy...
The committee should also know that Swamy was all alone went to Ayodhya from Udupi to demolish Babri Masjid. Which was the main reason behind the communal riots and communalism started in throughout India till today.
Now some Swamy's personal benefited chelas are doing in the name of muslims. Shame on you.
We muslims should keep good relations and harmony with other communities by providing food, shelter, cloths , medical aids to the poor daliths, hindus and Christians but not to give the billionaire Swamy who is always against other communities including daliths.
Next time you can do kola and parba too...
Innaa Lillaahi Wa Innaa Ilaihi Raajiwoon
NAUZUBILLAH
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