ISKCON Delhi that began feeding two lakh people per day at the start of the lockdown, is now quelling the hunger needs of five lakh people per day using drones and GPS to keep control checks on social distancing, food safety and timely delivery.And for this initiative, the Department of Social Welfare, Government of NCT of Delhi has nominated ISKCON as the State-Level Mother NGO.
As the State-Level Mother NGO, it will now coordinate with District Nodal Officers and the Nodal/Mother NGO of the different districts to provide assistance to the government in procurement and distribution of groceries, food supplies and other articles, besides undertaking other activities related to lockdown.
It all began with a pledge to feed two lakh people per day at the onset of the lockdown, but seeing the ground reality the numbers were increased.Speaking about the initiative, Piyoosh Goyal (Pradyumna Priya Das), Chairman, ISKCON Food Relief Foundation, stated that times like these call for compassion, love, and bonding. “Our volunteers are like COVID Warriors as they are valiant enough to work under extreme conditions,” he said.
The first step to this mission was to ensure sanitisation of cooking and food storage area. The Foundation created water-proof storages to ensure that the food items bought in bulk remain safe and free of contamination. To ensure zero contact with viruses, even cooking cylinders were sanitised and stored in a well-ventilated area.
“Sanitisation and hygiene is our top most priority, and we make sure we are adhering to the Ministry of Health & AYUSH standards before we set out on our mission. We are using technology such as RFID, GPS, and drones to monitor safety measures during these sensitive times,” he added.
Food is cooked under the guidance of a five-star hotel chef ensuring that it has high nutritional value and taste. “Our food is rich in immunity-boosting herbs. We are using cow ghee on chapattis. Our focus is to curtail the spread of the virus and for this, we are making sensitive operations hands free like using a foot-operated handwash basin, dough kneading and chapatti making machine etc,” he remarked
Goyal thanked the corporate houses and individuals who have been extending unhindered support to the ISKCON initiative while remaining out of limelight. “None of this would have been possible without their support,” he said.