By IANS,
New Delhi : A nominal sum charged for a quality meal would be more appreciated by the poor people than a free meal and help in setting up more such kitchens for the city’s poor, says a social expert.
Harsh Mander, special commissioner of the Supreme Court on the Right to Food campaign, said here Thursday he is in talks with the government to charge a nominal amount in exchange of a quality meal so that the ‘Aap ki Rasoi’ project is more feasible in the long run.
“The Aap ki Rasoi concept is a good one and an old one too. The free food distributed in gurdwaras or other religious places is the same thing… However, even for a poor person the concept of free food is not a respectable one,” Mander said at a conference on the Delhi government’s welfare schemes.
“I have worked with the homeless for years now, so I know that. If a person is charged, say Rs.10 for a meal, he will be able to afford that and get to eat quality food. The project will also be more sustainable in the long run,” he added.
The Aap ki Rasoi that provides one meal a day for the city’s poor is the Delhi chief minister’s pet project. It is an initiative towards making Delhi a hunger-free state and was launched in April last year under the Bhagidari (partnership) programme.
The government has roped in corporates to fund the production and distribution of the food.
“I have been advising the government about my proposal. As of now Aap ki Rasoi is on a small scale but if the minimal payment system is implemented, at least 500 kitchens catering to the poor can be run in the city,” said Mander, who is also the director of Centre for Equity Studies.