NEW DELHI ¨C The famous ¡°ice bucket¡± challenge is inspiring thousands of Indians to follow suit, but with a twist- they are replacing ice with rice in a bid to help the country¡¯s vast population of poor, hungry people.

The challenge, going viral on social media, involves donating a bucket of rice to someone in need and clicking a picture to share online, with a tag #RiceBucketChallenge, to raise awareness.

Started by 38-year-old journalist Manju Latha Kalanidhi in the southern city of Hyderabad, the movement¡¯s Facebook page () defines it as a ¡°local challenge for local needs¡± and has clocked more than 52,000 ¡®likes¡¯ so far.

The inspiration was drawn from the ¡°ice bucket¡± challenge, in which people pour a bucket of ice-cold water over their heads to encourage donations for research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a neurodegenerative disease. Celebrities such as software tycoon Bill Gates and tennis great Roger Federer have participated.

¡°I felt (the ice bucket challenge) was a little bizarre ... hunger is a disease anybody would connect with,¡± Kalanidhi told Reuters.

Kalanidhi¡¯s project has started to draw mass support. Students of the Indian Institute of Management in the southern state of Kerala posted a video () after donating rice, while budget airline AirAsia India said its chief executive and senior management will participate on Monday.

Mass hunger, much of it poverty-induced, continues to haunt India. The country last year ranked 63rd on a list of 78 countries tracked by the International Food Policy Research Institute¡¯s Global Hunger Index. China ranked sixth.

Tackling poverty is high on new Prime Minister Narendra Modi¡¯s agenda. On Thursday, he launched a banking-for-all scheme that he said should end ¡°financial untouchability¡± and help lift people out of poverty.

India is the world¡¯s second-biggest rice consumer, with reserves of 21.2 million tons of the grain by July 1. It was the world¡¯s biggest rice exporter last year.