Chandigarh is set to witness an unusual charity initiative on Tuesday, August 18, with a community drive offering free petrol coupons to people at selected fuel stations.
The initiative, being described as a “petrol langar”, is being organised by Amritsar-based Rakesh Trehan, popularly known as “Raja D King” and according to information shared by Trehan in a video message about the drive, people will be able to receive fuel coupons worth ₹500 and ₹1,000.
The petrol distribution drive is scheduled to begin at 5 pm at selected petrol pumps in Sector 7 and Sector 10 in Chandigarh and under the initiative, eligible visitors will receive coupons that can be redeemed for fuel at the designated petrol stations. The available coupon amounts are ₹500 and ₹1,000.
The initiative has attracted attention because it uses the idea of langar for something other than food, as traditionally, langar refers to a free community meal, particularly associated with Sikh institutions and the principle of serving people without discrimination. In this case, the concept has been extended to fuel.
Rakesh Trehan, who is associated with Amritsar, is popularly known as “Raja Di King” and he has been associated with unconventional charity initiatives in Amritsar and Chandigarh.
Trehan has linked his philanthropic activities to his faith and what he describes as the blessings of Mahamai and previous initiatives have included distributing food and money to members of the public.
His latest initiative follows another unusual distribution drive in Chandigarh that was described as a “paison ka langar” and during that event in Sector 8, ₹500 currency notes were reportedly distributed along with fast food, including McDonald’s burgers and cold drinks. The latest fuel distribution has subsequently been described as a move from “paison ka langar” to “petrol langar”.
Trehan has also mentioned another possible charity initiative involving iPhones and it has been described as an “iPhone langar”, under which iPhones would be distributed free of cost, however, details about the proposed initiative, including its date, the number of iPhones to be distributed and eligibility requirements, have not been independently verified.
Trehan has said that his philanthropic activities are partly funded through profits from Bitcoin trading and he has reportedly said that he allocates a portion of his cryptocurrency earnings towards community-service activities.
His family background has been linked to the textile trade in Amritsar, while he is described as being involved in cryptocurrency trading.
The drive is scheduled for August 18 from 5 pm at selected petrol pumps in Chandigarh’s Sector 7 and Sector 10 and people visiting the designated locations are expected to receive ₹500 or ₹1,000 fuel coupons under the initiative.
