Anoop Khanna Feeds 500 People a day
Anoop Khanna, a Noida-based social activist is one such individual, who feeds almost 500 people every day under his initiative, ‘Dadi Ki Rasoi.’ Watch our latest video for all the details.
According to the UN, in India there are 195.9 million undernourished people. Plus the poor people in India find it difficult to even afford one meal a day.This is why, several state governments such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, among others have taken the initiative to provide free food to the poor, under schemes such as ‘Amma Canteen’ in Chennai,Tamil Nadu ‘Indira Canteen’ in Bengaluru, and ‘Aahar Yojana’ in Bhubaneswar,Odisha respectively.Several NGOs and individuals have also been providing free or affordable food to the poor. Anoop Khanna, a Noida-based social activist is one such individual, who feeds almost 500 people every day under his initiative, ‘Dadi Ki Rasoi.’Khanna started this started four years ago and provides a wholesome meal for only Rs 5 and constitutes of dal, chawal, roti and vegetable dishes.
Even though the motive is to feed the poor, food isn’t provided for free at ‘Dadi Ki Rasoi.’ Anoop says, people shouldn’t lose their self-respect, as one can get a second round of serving at the same price. Hence, he charges Rs 5 for meals, which is quite affordable. Apart from providing food to the poor, Anoop also sells clothes to the poor at only Rs 10 once in fifteen days, in addition to the books, and shoes. The small outlet is open every day from 10:00 am – 11:30 am in Sector 17 and 12 pm – 2 pm in Sector 29 in Noida.
The idea behind the kitchen was of Anoop’s daughter, Sakshi Khanna. He Rs 30,000 for the setup and has started receiving donations as well.Khanna said, “Shopkeepers give me raw materials at a discounted price. Many residents donate special meals on special occasions like birthdays, wedding anniversaries and so on. Their support is immense.”
To manage the expenses and run the food stall, Anoop buys all the groceries in bulk from a wholesale market, that costs him half the market price. Further, Anoop has now got a ‘sabzi vala’, who sells his vegetable for half the price, in return for food for him and his family.Khanna has installed 4 CCTV cameras where the food is prepared to ensure that everything goes fine. Khanna monitors all the recording himself.”
