At a time when long queues for LPG cylinders are becoming common, a village campus near Gujarat’s Vadodara presents a sustainable alternative. The campus of Muni Seva Ashram in Goraj runs solar-powered kitchens and biogas systems that prepare meals for nearly 5,000 people daily without relying on LPG. The campus also houses a cancer hospital and research centre. At Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain, the temple committee is working out contingency plans. Temple committee PRO Ashish Phalwadiya said, “We did not experience any supply-chain break, either in PNG or commercial LPG cylinders, but contingencies are being worked out.” Around 40 quintals of laddu prasadam is prepared every day at the laddu unit, which runs on commercial LPG. The temple, one of the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, receives between 1.5 lakh and 2 lakh devotees on a regular day. Between 5,000 and 7,000 people eat at the annakshetra daily.
