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Ex-top cop, UK NRI, Dabbawalas set up ‘Mumbai Roti Bank’

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Mumbai, Dec 23 (IANS) A former police commissioner, an NRI businessman from London and the famed Dabbawalas joined hands here on Saturday to “wage a fight against hunger” through the “Mumbai Roti Bank” platform.

While IPS officer and former city police chief and Maharashtra DGP D. Sivanandan has launched the non-profit initiative, UK-based businessman Nittin Khanapurkar has formed “MUrgency”, an emergency platform under the leadership of Mumbai Dabbawalas’ chief Subhash Talekar.

“The Mumbai Roti Bank will deploy GPS-tracked vans to collect excess food from restaurants, eateries, clubs, five-star hotels, events, public functions or marriages, besides households, and distribute them to poor, hungry and needy people,” said Talekar.

He said the Mumbai’s Dabbawalas recently launched their own Roti Bank initiative through which they collected extra food from households or organisations and distributed among the poor. “At least 300 people benefit daily.”

Stressing the need for more public participation in this venture, which is being done by volunteers offering free service, Talekar said the Roti Bank concept would now be spread all over India in stages.

“In India, an estimated 20 crore people — or the entire population of Pakistan — daily sleep hungry, 3,000 infants die due to malnutrition and hunger every day, but on the other hand, there is huge wastage of food, especially at big events, parties, marriages, etc.,” Talekar said.

While Sivanandan has donated the first van for the project at Lower Parel station to kickstart the scheme, the Mumbai Roti Bank plans to roll out another three-four food vans shortly.

Khanapurkar appealed to all stakeholders to take advantage of the Mumbai Roti Bank and call up whenever they were saddled with extra food to collect it while it was still fresh, so it could be distributed among the needy and hungry, including pavement dwellers in the city.

“People and organisations who have excess food to spare can call up a 24×7 helpline (No.9111891118/ www.rotibankindia.org) and provide the location from where the excess food has to be picked up. We will do the rest,” said Sivanandan.

–IANS
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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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