New Delhi, April 22: The Ministry of Railways gears up to supply 2.6 lakh meals daily from various Railway kitchens across the country to States amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The Indian Railways is making all efforts to ensure food for all during the nationwide lockdown till May 3. These meals will be available to the States at just cost basis at Rs 15/ meal. Payments settlement can be done by the State Governments at later stage. This is in addition to the one lakh free hot cooked meals are already being distributed by Indian Railways daily.

Details of zone wise kitchen incharges have also been communicated to the States. The offer of 2.6 lacs meals / day is based on the kitchen capacities of the earmarked initial locations. If the need arises, more such locations can be ramped up to boost the supply. The distribution of food is being done with the help of RPF, GRP, commercial departments of Zones, State Governments, District administrations and NGOs, even beyond the station vicinity to cater to the food requirements of needy people in areas surrounding the railway stations. Indian Railways to Provide 10,000 Rail Neer Water Bottles Daily to Delhi Police Personnel on COVID-19 Duty Till May 3.

The Railway Ministry said that based on response, the supply can be upscaled as well Meals available at nominal rates of Rs 15 only leaving no one behind. These meals are over and above the free hot cooked meals being already distributed to vulnerable sections by Indian Railways.

Indian Railways staff from a number of Railway organizations have worked tirelessly since March 28, 2020 to provide hot cooked meals to needy people after the lockdown due to COVID-19. Railways has been providing bulk cooked food with paper plates for lunch and food packets for dinner through IRCTC base kitchens, RPF resources, Commercial and other railway departments, and contribution of NGOs.

According to a government release, in India, the IRCTC kitchens gearing up to serve the needy persons in case of demand include Gaya, Deen Dayal (Mugalsarai), Rajinder Nagar (Patna), Samastipur, Dhanbad, Hajipur, Katihar, Guwahati, Ranchi, Balasore, Tatanagar and Howrah in East Zone; New Delhi and Prayagraj in North Zone; Vijayawada, Khurda Road, Visakhapatnam and Raipur in South Central Zone; Bangalore, Hubli, Tiruchirappalli, Katpadi, Ch Engalpa Ttu and Madurai in South Zone; and Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune and Bhusaval in West Zone.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 22, 2020 02:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).