COVID-19: Michelin-Star chef Vikas Khanna to feed 1.75 lakh people on Eid in Mumbai

Michelin-Star chef Vikas Khanna is set to organise "world's largest Eid feast" in Mumbai to feed nearly 1.75 lakh people in city worst-affected by COVID-19 pandemic in India. 48-year-old world-rewned chef, author and film-maker, who has distributed millions of dry ration meals to needy across 79 cities in India amidst COVID-19 crisis, is working round clock to organise feast beginning on Friday.

" food is being collected at Haji Ali Dargah from where it will be loaded in trucks and distributed around Mohammed Ali Road, Dharavi and Mahim Dargah in Mumbai with help of over 200 volunteers and personnel from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) while adhering to all guidelines of social distancing," Khanna told PTI.

"With your blessings, we are putting toger world's largest Eid feast - 100,000+ Kgs of dry rations, fresh & dry fruits, spices, kitchen utensils, chais, sweets, juices, etc," Khanna tweeted on May 17. He said that within hours of tweet, he had received tremendous support from individuals and companies offering to provide raw materials and or essential items for meals.

"As India observes Eid at a time when COVID-19 pandemic has spread fear and chaos in world…this feast showcases soul of our country. It has been made possible by absolutely everybody coming toger. It shows that in time of such a crisis, we are holding hands and people are re for each or," he said.

"India will win against virus. India has said it will win and this effort is our stamp. This will be common man serving common man," he said. His initiative has been supported by some of major food brands, foundations and companies.

In less than a month, Khanna has been able to procure and distribute over six million dry ration meals, including rice, lentils and wheat flour, to orphans and old- homes and or needy individuals across nearly 80 cities in India.

Khanna coordinates daily through phone all logistical requirements, including securing permits to transfer ration between states, pick-up and deliveries from wholesale vendors and stockpiles and distribution to concerned centres.

Beginning Thursday, Khanna's initiative of 'Fuel Stations to Food Stations' will also become operational across highways in India to distribute food to hundreds of thousands of labourers and migrant workers who are undertaking long and arduous journeys to return to ir towns and vills.

"We are trying scale up capacity to serve one million people per day under this initiative," he said. death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 3,435 and number of cases to 1,12,359 in country on Thursday. Maharashtra tops tally with 1,390 fatalities. It is followed by Gujarat at 749 deaths and Madhya Pradesh at 267.

vel coronavirus which first originated in Wuhan in December last year has claimed 328,120 lives and infected nearly 5 million people globally. US is worst affected country with 93,439 deaths and over 1.5 million infections, according to Johns Hopkins University data.