Tamil Nadu CM Praised Couple For Providing Food For One Rupee

MK Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu applauded a couple helping for the attenders of poor patients of the government hospital in Erode in Tamil Nadu. The couple, Venkataraman and Rajalakshmi is running a mess for serving the food for the past 15 long years.

The fact that made the mess run by the couple different is that they had been providing meals for Re1 at AMV Homely Food. The attendants of underprivileged patients having treatment at the government hospital can purchase food for three meals at their adjacent mess for one rupee each. The guests who come to help the patients must spend at least Rs 150 per day on outside food because the hospital offers food for its in-patients.

Due to his management of a mess near a public hospital, Venkataraman saw the sufferings of these individuals and came up with the idea for the “one rupee lunch” program. The pair provides morning and evening snacks in addition to a full lunch for one rupee. The pair has been providing this service without interruption for the past 15 years, feeding close to 100 people every day. In a similar line, they give meal discounts of 20% to people with disabilities.

The couple claimed that despite their financial struggles brought on by rising costs and employee wages, they were nevertheless able to continue providing food to their customers because of sporadic donations from various anonymous contributors. They recalled that w hen an elderly woman came to their mess to purchase tiffin for her unwell husband in 2007, she complained that the price of three dosas for Rs. 10 was too high and she couldn’t afford it. This incidence inspired us to make the choice. Following that theyimmediately provided her six dosas for the price of two, and ever since, theyhave been providing meals and tiffin to the caregivers of patients at government hospitals.

Every day, the pair pays a visit to the hospital and gives out about 100 tokens to patients. They offer about 20 tiffin tokens for just one rupee in the morning. As per the pair, 50 attendees receive meals for Re 1 that include five items for lunch, and 30 attendees receive tokens for Re 1 for supper. Additionally, they asserted that despite suffering large losses, they continue to run the Re 1 meal programme and charge the public Rs 50 every meal.