Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Thursday launched a food programme for the urban poor by distributing food kits amongst 1,000 families of distressed diamond workers in Bapunagar area in Ahmedabad. Lakhs of people in diamond,construction and other industries have been rendered jobless due to global meltdown,VHP wants to provide food to as many people as possible, VHP General Secretary Pravin Togadia said. Each packet contains 15 kg wheat,5 kg rice and 1 kg daal (pulses). Subsequently,we would like to increase quantities and add cooking oil to the packet, he said. As part of the programme,volunteers would collect foodgrains from donors and distribute them amongst poor families,VHP office bearers said adding 21,000 kgs of foodgrains had been collected so far. A similar programme would be launched across several cities in the country,Togadia said adding retired officials and women would be roped in as volunteers to run it and a separate trust would be registered for the scheme. Togadia criticised the prevalent model of economic development stating that it benefitted a small section of the society while a huge chunk is excluded,widening the disparity between the rich and the poor in the country.
