Chandigarh: Annapurna Akshaya Patra Project losing steam after doubling prices

The slowdown in the growth momentum of the project started after the Red Cross Society increased the cost of food packets from ₹10 to ₹20 in April 2022, making a direct impact on its popularity and sales

Launched with much fanfare in January 2017, the Annapurna Akshaya Patra Project, initiated by the Indian Red Cross Society in Chandigarh to offer affordable food to those in need, is losing steam.

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The slowdown in the growth momentum of the project started after the Red Cross Society increased the cost of food packets from ₹10 to ₹20 in April 2022, making a direct impact on its popularity and sales.

Another reason for the dip in its sale is that the food packets are largely sold outside health institutes, including PGIMER, GMCH-32 and GMSH-16, where langar (free food) is served which is a hit among migrant labourers and those visiting the hospitals from faraway places.

The meal consists of six chapatis, one vegetable and a pickle, all packaged in foil paper, with the vegetable placed in a plastic container.

Red Cross Society nodal officer KS Rana said the scheme initially received a strong response, with approximately 2,500 food packets being sold per day. However, due to the increase in rates, they now only manage to sell around 1,800 food packets per day. The decision to raise the rates to ₹20 was made because when they were selling at ₹10 per packet, the cost per packet amounted to around ₹17.

The then UT administrator, VP Singh Badnore, inaugurated the project on January 2, 2017, with the goal of providing economical food to those in need. Under this project, the food is prepared and packed in a kitchen set up at the Karuna Sadan Building in Sector 11 B with a total initial cost of ₹70 lakh. The required infrastructure has been arranged through different philanthropists. The daily distribution is done from 6 pm to 9 pm. At least five vans have been put in service to supply the food.