NEW DELHI: Kalawati, along with her 5-year-old son was busy in indulging spoon full of rice and chhole for their lunch.
Staying at Mayur Vihar Phase 2, she often comes at Jan Rasoi, a community kitchen at Patparganj where she gets a full plate of rice and vegetable or lentils for lunch.
"When you get sufficient meal for just Re 1, why wouldn’t people come here? My husband works as a labourer and he gets his lunch at spot. So some days I and my son come at this canteen for lunch. Got to know about the place from locals and started coming here," said Kalawati.
Jan Rasoi is a concept by East Delhi MP Gautam Gambhir, where community kitchens are set up in his constituency that offers lunch for Re 1.
The canteen runs from 12 pm till 3 pm and serves around 800 people in a day. Payal Singh, volunteer at the canteen said that two separate lines of male and female with children are made to ease up the crowd.
“Most of those who come here are labourers, auto drivers, rickshaw pullers. We start giving coupons from 11.30 am onwards,” she stated.
“The canteen has been of good help for labourers like me. There are many who are dependent on daily wages. There are days when I cannot earn any money. So in those days I come here,” noted Kishan who works as a painter.
The MP now has plans to open the fourth community kitchen at Laxmi Nagar, next month around October 15.
In December 2020, Gambhir launched the first kitchen at Gandhi Nagar where the food is prepared and then distributed to other two canteens. Earlier this year, the second canteen was set up in New Ashok Nagar and last month it started in Parpatganj.
"I’m proud that our fourth Jan Rasoi will be available to serve the people of Delhi in October. Our crusade against hunger will be bolstered with this. For the first time in history, a vacant garbage storage unit has been transformed into a modern kitchen which is feeding thousands of people. Our objective has been that poor people should get hygienic and healthy food everyday with dignity and respect. Our volunteers make sure that everyone feels welcomed and eat to their heart’s content," said Gambhir.
He has plans to open ten such canteens with one in each Vidhan Sabha in his constituency.
Jan Rasoi is the only set up being run by an MP in the country. It is a game changer for people living in slums. Earlier, they couldn’t think of having a full meal at this nominal cost.
The concept impacted lives of daily wagers etc. Now they are able to eat good quality food at least once in a day.