Patna: A man from Bihar has planned to launch a ‘Roti Bank’ to provide food to the destitute people. The first-of-its-kind food bank will function from June 15.
The food bank will collect only vegetarian food from common people everyday and provide it to the poor and the needy who don’t have the means to satiate their hunger.
“I was appalled to see the condition of quite many people going without food everyday. Hence decided to do something to bring cheer in their life,” said Rishikesh Narayan, the brainchild behind this idea.
Narayan, a research scholar at Patna think tank A N Sinha Institute of Social Studies, said a 50 volunteers are ready to roll out the plan next month. All volunteers would go door-to-door to collect food stuff and distribute it among the people living on the pavements, railway stations or near the hospitals.
“We hope to tap food from people who are willing to contribute a minimum of two chapatis [traditional Indian unleavened flat bread] every day, which will be distributed among the needy people,” Narayan said.
Narayan, however, is very serious about maintaining quality of food. “Our objective is not only to provide food to the hungry people but to also maintain its quality and hygiene,” he asserted adding his target is to provide food to at least 100 people each day between 8am and 9pm. The number of food recipients will be increased later depending upon the amount of food collected, he said.
The extent of poverty is quite alarming in Bihar and according to an official report more man 14 million families in the state live below the poverty line. Further, 49 per cent people in the state suffer from malnutrition.
The situation is very alarming especially in Supaul and Saharsa districts, which suffered worst-ever Kosi flood disaster in 2008. More than five million people were rendered homeless and hundreds of thousands acres of farmland turned barren.