To stop wastage, Modi government wants to fix portions of food served in hotels, restaurants

The Centre is mulling over an option to fix the portions of food served at restaurants and hotels to stop the wastage. The move comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his disappointment over the issue in his monthly radio programe Mann ki Baat.

According to a Hindustan Times report, Modi's government is working on a questionnaire that will be sent to hotels and restaurants for their inputs over the concerned matter.

"The PM is concerned about food wastage and so we are going to issue instructions to these hotels," Ram Vilas Paswan, minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution told the newspaper.

Paswan further explained, "If a person can eat only two prawns, why should he or she be served six? If a person eats two idlis, why serve four! It's wastage of food and also money people pay for something that they don't eat".

However, Paswan also made it clear that the new set of instructions would be applicable to "standard hotels" and not dhabas that "usually serve thalis".

On March 26, Prime Minister Modi in his radio show, Mann Ki Baat had talked about the food wastage and called it as injustice to the poor.

"We know that at home and at feasts and social gatherings, we tend to serve ourselves more food than we need," he had said.

"Have you ever thought about how much food we waste? Have you ever thought how many poor people can be fed if we don't thus waste our food? We should take only as much as we can eat."

"Wastage of food is unfortunate. I know of several youngsters who are using technology and helping prevent it", Modi said.

ALSO READ: Paying rent to kin for tax relief? You may be denied tax exemptions