Coronavirus: Anand Mahindra replaces plates with banana leaves at his factory amid COVID-19 lockdown

Amidst the rising cases of positive novel coronavirus cases in India, industrialist Anand Mahindra has replaced plates with banana leaves to feed workers at his factory.

Explaining why now food was being served on banana leaves at his auto conglomerate Mahindra group's factory canteens, Mahindra said it all started with an email from retired journalist Padma Ramnath.

For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here

Mahindra said that Ramnath "mailed me out of the blue" with a suggestion: banana leaves instead of plates. The motive behind the suggestion was to help struggling banana farmers to help sell their produce in the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown.

The farmers and daily wage earners in the country have been gravely affected by the lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"Our proactive factory teams acted instantly on the idea," Mahindra said in a tweet.