Gadag’s Butti serves meals at Rs 5

Pic: People flock to Butti centre in Gadag for meals at nominal costGadag: Many eateries are finding it difficult to provide service to the public in the wake of a shortage of LPG cylinders, both domestic and commercial, in the backdrop of the West Asia conflict. People have to pay Rs 100 to 150 to have a meal in local hotels, but it is not affordable for the poor.At this critical time, KH Patil Foundation and Rural Medical Service Society launched Butti, a ‘free from hunger' service in Gadag near GIMS, which has been renamed as KH Patil Institute of Medical Sciences (KHPIMS), Gadag, to mark veteran leader KH Patil's 101st birth anniversary on March 16. It aims to provide a meal at Rs 5 to all, including caregivers of patients, students, labourers and others.Dr Veman Sawakar, secretary of Rural Medical Service Society, told TOI that it was the brainchild of the minister HK Patil, who wanted to provide food to the needy at an affordable cost. "Hence, we decided to start Butti service in Gadag. We have built a building on 3,000 sqft at a cost of Rs 50 lakh to provide Butti service to poor people. As it is very close to the KH Patil Institute of Medical Sciences, outpatients, patients' attenders, students, daily wage labourers and others can visit here to have sufficient meals for a minimum of Rs 5 only . Daily, 350-400 people are making use of this facility since the launch of this service. We provide rice items including pulav, rice bath, vangi bath, masala rice, rice sambar and other rice items, and there is no limit, but we serve sufficient food at Rs 5. If there is demand, we can also continue this service at night hours," he said."Minister HK Patil has already directed us that it should not be stopped midway once it is started. So, we have already made all arrangements to run the service despite a shortage of cylinders. The new building is equipped with advanced steam cooking technology. If there is a shortage of cylinders, we can opt for steam cooking with the help of electricity, but we will not stop this service. One main cook, three assistant cooks, one helper, one manager and an assistant manager are working under this project to ensure the smooth functioning of Butti service," he said.Dr Basavaraj Bommanahalli, director, KHPIMS, Gadag, said: "I also had a meal there. It is very tasty and healthy food at a nominal price of Rs 5. It is really helping caregivers accompanying patients to our hospital to have a meal at Rs 5. About 1,250 to 1,500 people visit as outpatients daily, and 2-3 persons accompany each of them, for whom this service has come as a boon. Apart from outpatients and attenders, our students, mainly from nursing and paramedical departments, are also making use of this facility, he said.Many people who visited here shared that Rs 90 to 150 is being charged for a meal in the local hotels, and we have to pay Rs 30 to 40 for a plate of idli-vada with tea However, they said they are now getting a good meal at Rs 5, and lauded the service of KH Patil Foundation.