Midday meal may soon be out of reach

THE Midday Meal Project of the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Food Relief Foundation, which provides for 2 lakh students of Municipal Schools in and around Mumbai, is struggling for funds

THE Midday Meal Project of the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Food Relief Foundation, which provides for 2 lakh students of Municipal Schools in and around Mumbai, is struggling for funds. The government provides Re 1 per meal to the foundation.



"The BMC has been a bit slack and we are now owed a couple of crores. Although we submit our bills on a monthly basis sometimes it takes a year or two for the government to repay. So we approach corporates or individuals to help," says Radha Krishna Das, Director, ISKCON Food Relief Foundation, who left dentistry and is working full time to make sure the food is packaged well and delivered on time.

Das says, "We have four kitchens in Palghar, Nigdi (near Pune), Mira Road and Tardeo catering to schools in and around Mumbai."

Raw materials for the khichadi cost around Rs 3 per plate and are bought from the wholesale market. Rice comes from the government. This rice is then de-stoned, de-husked, cleaned and mechanically colour sorted. But is discarded when it is not the expected colour.

Each kitchen produces 50,000 meals prepared by a cook, two assistant cooks and five helpers. The process is mechanized to ensure hygiene. The containers are taken to schools in and around Mumbai in 69 delivery vans.

All of this is dependant on the government paying the foundation on time. With the money coming in late, the foundation says it is struggling.

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