Kolkata: Mayor Firhad Hakim on Tuesday flagged off a mobile food van that will provide lunch at Rs 6 only. The initiative named Annapurna Ki Rasoi will provide the meal comprising rice, dal and curry to 700 people on a daily basis five days a week. The menu on Tuesday and Thursday will be Khichdi along with curry. The mobile food van launched by Lions Clubs International will be stationed in front of SSKM hospital till 12.30 pm everyday and will provide food for 400 people daily. Later in the day the van will move to different places in the city and will provide food for another 300 people. "Kolkata is the only place in the world where you get a square meal at such a low rate. If you have Rs 30 in your pocket you can have your lunch at a number of places in the city. But now, you can have it only at Rs 6. People of Garden Reach has already asked me to have this facility there," said Mayor Firhad Hakim, who is an MLA of Kolkata Port area. Hakim reminded the authorities of Lions Club of the big challenge in continuing with this arrangement where they have to provide a subsidy to the tune of Rs 15 per plate to make arrangements for the daily lunch. KMC Member Mayor in Council (Drainage) Tarak Singh, who has roped in the Lions Club, for this initiative said the civic body will serve Roti only at Rs 1 at a slum in Kolkata. "We will install machine that will prepare Roti and people can buy them at Rs 1. There are two types of machine one is automatic while the other one is semi-automatic. We will soon finalise the prototype and select the slum where to begin this programme. Self-help groups will be involved in the project," Singh added.

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