Published in Readers Digest: A food bank in Allahabad, now Prayagraj, is helping villagers beat hunger, and how! The bank allows them to take grains on loan, accepting a small donation of grains as repayment. The idea came from Sunit Singh, a professor at the G.B. Pant Institute of Social Sciences at Jhunsi. He pitched the concept to a self-help group run by the NGO Pragati Vahini Federation. According to Singh, anyone can become a member by donating a kilogramme of rice. In times of need, the villagers can borrow five kilogrammes, to be returned within 15 days.
Currently, the bank serves around 20 villages in the district, and can be a lifesaver for the 300-odd families there. Singh plans to expand this initiative and hopes to make the district hunger-free one day.