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Raipur, Oct 26 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted a remarkable initiative going on in the heart of Chhattisgarh in an emotional anecdote shared during the 127th episode of his radio program ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
The Garbage Café in Ambikapur, a city located in central India, is redefining the concept of nutrition and civic responsibility – one plastic wrapper at a time.
Every day, the café welcomes people who come to enjoy lunch or dinner, but instead of paying with rupees, they provide bundles of plastic waste – discarded carrier bags, food wrappers and water bottles.
The Prime Minister lauded the efforts of Ambikapur Municipal Corporation (AMC) for this innovative approach, saying, “For one kilogram of waste you can get a good lunch or dinner; for half a kilogram you can get breakfast.”
The café’s menu is eclectic and nutritious – rice, two vegetable curries, dal, roti, salad and pickles for a complete meal.
Breakfast options include popular street dishes like ‘Samosa’ and ‘Vada Pav’. Launched in 2019 under the slogan “The more garbage, the better the taste”, the initiative is funded through AMC’s sanitation budget and is strategically located near the city’s main bus stand.
The concept was born out of the twin crises – plastic pollution and urban hunger. By encouraging the collection of plastic waste, the café not only provides livelihood but also contributes to environmental cleanliness.
Waste pickers and low-income individuals are encouraged to collect plastic from streets and landfills, allowing them to exchange it for a hot meal that nourishes both body and soul.
By providing food instead of plastic, the cafe is not only helping in filling the empty stomach but is also contributing in cleaning the environment.
The café feeds several people every day – a modest but meaningful number in a city striving for inclusive progress.
Ambikapur’s Garbage Café is an example of ingenuity and compassion, proving that sustainable solutions can emerge from the most pressing urban challenges. In a world riven by waste and deprivation, this simple café offers a recipe for hope – served hot with civic pride.
–IANS
SKTR/DPB