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1 CRORE MEALS DISTRIBUTED OVER 70 DAYS OF LOCKDOWN RCMQN’s Feed All In Need he COVID-19 crisis brought to the a day for several weeks and other caterers dled by multiple NGOs, with fore many COVID warriors who like Foodlink, Popular and Blue Sea also do- NESH (No One Ever Sleeps stepped up to resolve or reduce nated some meals. Hungry) being the major various challenges that emerged. Help poured in from all quarters and from distributors in Mumbai. Members of The Rotary Club of small, heart-warming donations of Rs 105 YMCA Mumbai, Chhoti TMumbai Queen’s Necklace (RCMQN) from a staff member towards 5 meals, to Si Asha, Geo Roti Ghar, include some of the good Samaritans who large donations from corporates like Piramal Feed My Mumbai, RSS, truly took on the COVID-created food crisis Foundation, Amit Chandra Foundation, Mrs. Mumbai Responds, TISS head on. A veteran of 35 years in the social Vita Dani, HSBC, HBS Foundation, Give In- and many more helped the service sector, RCMQN launched its initia- dia, Godrej group, Jewelex, Asian Star and project reach wherever tive, Feed All in Need, as soon as Lockdown Rosy Blue, to name a few. In two months, the hunger struck in Mumbai. 1.0 was declared. donations raised in cash and kind reached a Art of Living supported the whopping total of Rs. 14 Crores. distribution with its large The Genesis team in Vasai and Virar. In all, over 200 volunteers on the The core Miracles Team of the club (so ground ensured that for 70 named for their desire to create miracles in days the meals were delivered service) swung into action, quickly deciding every single day on time to the that the biggest collateral damage of the large number of people wait- lockdown was going to be the hundreds of ing patiently in queues at nu- thousands of daily wage earners who were merous locations. suddenly reduced to penury and brought to the brink of hunger and starvation. The End or a new Feed All In Need project was born and The Kitchens started taking shape. The project which beginning started with supporting someone’s modest Annamrita ISKCON was roped in as the As the Lockdown 1.0 was scheduled to come attempt to feed 5000 people daily quickly principal food supplier and provided piping to an end, RCMQN conceptualised the idea metamorphosed into a massive concerted ef- hot, nutritious 100,000 khichdi meals from of the distribution of Food Kits in order to fort, involving most of the members of their three kitchens at Mahul, Wada and help the daily wage earners tide over the first RCMQN, to feed upto 1,60,000 meals daily to Mira Road. As the scale of the project Feed two weeks. Each kit containing rice, flour, and exit points from the city. In this the less privileged. All in Need grew, other large caterers like pulses, sugar, cooking oil, spices and tea was endeavour, RCMQN collaborated NESCO, Food Link, Thackers, Modern Bak- designed to feed a family of four for 15 days. with the Srimad Rajchandra The Funding ery, Serena and others were engaged to keep The kits were distributed to carefully identi- Trust and others. up the growing and changing demand. After fied marginalised communities like hand Project Feed All in Need has so RCMQN Members have a deep sense of giv- several days of feeding khichdi, the team cart pullers, dabbawalas, transgenders, sex far fed 60 lakh cooked meals and ing and they reached deep into their pockets successfully transitioned to feeding people workers, rag pickers and others. enabled 40 lakh meals through the and pledged commitments of Rs 4 crore in puri bhaji, vada pav and pulao meals at least Lockdown 1.0 progressed into lockdown 2.0 kit distribution, thereby touching a two weeks. This gave wings to the Miracles one day of the week to give them a change of and kept extending. Mumbai saw a large ex- number of 1 Crore meals over 70 days. The Team and one of the largest relief projects taste. odus of migrants who left the city on foot, crying need to feed the hungry people is far ever envisaged got underway. hitched rides on trucks and by buses and from over and Rotary Club of Mumbai Reliance Foundation provided free gro- The Distribution Effort trains. At this time, it became imperative to Queen’s Necklace aims to keep tapping into ceries for one month and TajSats Kitchen think about them and very quickly the team its own resources and the generosity of provided 20,000 free meals daily for 10 days. The distribution of meals from Colaba to ramped up distribution of theplas, dry donors to help the homeless and the jobless Thackers Caterers provided 4,000 free meals Palghar required a large team. This was han- snacks, fruit and water at railway stations navigate these trying times. VOL. 32 NO. 8|MUMBAI, PUNE, INDORE, BHOPAL SUNDAY|JUNE 21, 2020|14 PAGES Quality at Value Indian armed forces contingent at Moscow military parade Coronavirus Cases Babies with COVID-19 tend to have mild illness: Experts NEW DELHI : A tri-service contingent of the Indian armed forces will participate in the military parade at Moscow's Red NEW YORK: A team of US scientists, led by an Indian-origin researcher, has found that infants under 90 Square on June 24. The tri-service contingent will be led by a colonel-rank officer and will comprise 75 personnel of all 8,812,096 days of age who tested positive for Covid-19 tend to be well, with little or no respiratory involvement. ranks from the three services, the Army said. Russia postponed its military parade traditionally held on May 9 for a later The fever was often found to be the primary or only symptom, said the study, published in the 'Journal of date due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Russia's TASS news agency. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will Deaths Pediatrics'. "Our findings suggest that these babies mostly have mild illness and may not be at higher risk depart on Monday for Moscow, Russia to take part in the 75th anniversary of the Russia victory in the World War II 463,712 of severe disease as initially reported from China," said study lead author Leena B Mithal from DASHBOARD Military Parade on June 24. Source - worldometer Northwestern University in the US. No request for hospital Modi's Ladakh remarks: beds anymore: Chahal DIPTI SINGH / Mumbai being taken by the civic body to contain the spread of Brihanmumbai Municipal COVID-19, Chahal also cau- Corporation (BMC) chief tions Mumbaikars to adopt Iqbal Singh Chahal says he the new normal and take Says attempts being made to give all-party meeting statement, that no one has stopped receiving mes- precautions until a vaccine PMO issues clarification sages on his phone from peo- is found. entered Indian territory from the other side, a "mischievous interpretation" ple seeking assistance for PIC:SAJAD HAMEED hospital beds – which he How would you evaluate OUR BUREAU / New Delhi takes a sign that it has be- the COVID-19 situation in come easier to get a bed at a Mumbai? PM Modi's observation at an hospital in the city. While re- We have managed to get a all-party meeting on Friday Satellite pix show China ducing cases in most wards perfect grip on the virus in evening that "there was no to single digits, the BMC is Mumbai. From Colaba-Nari- Chinese presence on our side preparing infrastructure to man Point to Bandra, and of the line of actual control deal with even one lakh from Vashi bridge to Chem- (LAC) pertains to the situa- diverting Galwan river more COVID-19 patients if bur, the number of cases re- tion as a consequence of the AGENCIES / London He said, “There are a ton required, says Chahal, in an ported daily have reduced to this and then bring it down bravery of our armed of vehicles on both sides - interview with The Free just 5 to 7. On, Saturday, even further. If you look at forces," the Prime Minister's Days after a violent face-off although there appear to be Press Journal on a host of is- Dharavi, reported just 7 cas- the average growth rate of Office (PMO) clarified. between India and China in vastly more on the Chinese sues. Talking about the steps es. Our focus is to maintain outbreak in CONTD. ON P5 It said the clarification was Galwan, a latest set of satel- side. I count 30-40 Indian ve- necessary since attempts are lite images have surfaced hicles and well over 100 ve- being made in some quarters showing China diverting the hicles on the Chinese side.” to give a mischievous inter- course of Galwan river. The The imagery sighted on pretation to the PM's re- satellite pictures showing Tuesday also showed the marks that were made to signs of the landscape of the machinery along the moun- Will push for 26/11 accused Rana's clarify the CONTD. ON P5 valley being altered through tains and in the Galwan widening tracks, moving River. earth and making river Since last month, India and India rejects China's sovereignty claim Varsity threatens to take crossings were taken by the China have been involved in Bringingextradition him will throw light on fromISI activities: US: Nikam Maha tion request govt by India, which NEW DELHI: India rejected China's claim of sovereignty over Earth-imaging company talks to smoothen the ongo- had declared him a fugitive.

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