Under the umbrella of Ehsaas, the concept of truck kitchens ‘Ehsaas Koi Bhooka Na Soye’ (EKBNS) was launched by the Prime Minister on March 10, 2021 to serve free meal boxes twice a day to daily wage earners in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. On special instructions of PM, the programme is now being expanded to three other cities before the holy month of Ramadan. Across Lahore, Faisalabad and Peshawar, EKBNS mobile trucks carrying cooked food will visit the localities of labourers and hospitals to distribute free meals.
Detailing EKBNS operations, Dr. Sania Nishtar stated, “In an initial phase, the two trucks are currently serving the poor and labour class of the twin cities. Each truck feeds 1500 people daily on designated service points. With the upcoming expansion to 3 other cities through 12 new truck kitchens- the EKBNS would explicitly target those who cannot access Ehsaas Panagahs and Ehsaas Langars.”
According to a statement, EKBNS is PM’s vision for the year 2021. While inaugurating Tarnol Panagah in Islamabad on the evening of new year, PM had committed his resolution for the year 2021 that EKBNS would be rolled out to make sure that no one goes to bed empty stomach. The delivery of free meals will help the poor, deserving, labourers and piece-rate workers save their hard-earned money to feed their children and families. The programme will be upscaled to other parts of the country later this year in phases.
Designed to serve healthy meals, EKBNS truck kitchens are well equipped with safe cooking appliances. EKBNS is founded on a public private partnership whereby the Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal is responsible for the operations of truck kitchens and Saylani Welfare International Trust for the provision of meals. The Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division has established a ‘Donor Coordination Group’ to encourage the private sector to fund the programme. Commitments by philanthropists, private sector, international agencies, civil society and individuals will be routed by the coordination group.
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