Bhubaneswar: JSP Foundation, the social arm of Jindal Steel & Power, served devotees during the Rath Yatra grand festival with freshly cooked food, chilled drinking water and glucose packets.
Under the guidance of its Chairperson Shallu Jindal, the Foundation provided freshly cooked food, chilled drinking water, and glucose packets to devotees from Netrotsav Day on June 19 to Sunabesha Day on June 29.
Under its Mission Zero Hunger programme, the Foundation served 10.5 lakh hot-cooked meals, which included rice, dalma (a medley of lentils and vegetables), and Khatta (a chutney made from tomatoes, jaggery, and dates).
In coordination with the district administration, the Foundation set up a specialized stall with a live kitchen near Sri Gundicha Temple in Puri and continued its services with the support of 100 volunteers.
Thanking Lord Jagannath, Chairperson of JSP Foundation Shallu Jindal said, “We made all efforts to feed the needy and vulnerable who come from various parts of the country to participate in this festival. We are grateful to Lord Jagannath for giving us the opportunity to serve his devotees”.
“In this huge pool of crowds, getting quality food is a challenge. We are thankful to JSP Foundation for providing hot cooked meals. Many people like me are very happy to have this food,” said Soren Munda, who has come with his family from Singhbhum, Jharkhand.
The Foundation also distributed 6000 glucose packets among devotees on Rath Yatra day. To assist various frontline government officers, employees and volunteers, the Foundation provided 700 raincoats to the district administration. In addition to this, the Foundation also deployed two chilled drinking water vans of 1000 liter capacity each for the distribution of drinking water among the devotees.
The Foundation also provided 70 bio-toilets to the district administration for use by devotees during the festival.
President & Group Head (CSR) of Jindal Steel & Power Prashant Kumar Hota thanked the district administration, state government, Puri Bus Owners’ Association and local youths for the success of this grand food service during Rath Yatra. “Serving 10.5 lakh meals in 12 days is a marathon task. But the inspiration of our Chairman Naveen Jindal and JSP Foundation Chairperson Shallu Jindal we could make it possible. We are thankful to the District Administration for providing facilitative support,” he said.
