Delhi government to launch ’aam aadmi’ canteens in Delhi, provide meal for Rs 5

www.mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, July 15, 2015: Cheap meal for the common people of Delhi is soon going to be a reality with the Arvind Kejriwal government deciding to start ’aam aadmi’ canteens in the national capital which will provide meals for Rs 5 to 10.

The canteens will first be started in industrial areas, hospitals and commercial institutes which will be run by the Food and Civil Supplies department.

A Delhi Dialogue Commission (DDC) proposal in this regard was approved by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, setting the ball rolling for its implementation. There was no official word on the amount of subsidy required for the scheme though.

"Today the choice is limited for the poor when it comes to having nutritious food. They have to depend on food that is often unhygienic yet pricey," DDC Vice-Chairman Ashish Khetan told reporters.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner would be available in the canteens which would mainly cater to construction labourers, slum dwellers, students and office-going population alike.

When asked about the possible expenditure, Khetan referred to the Tamil Nadu model which, he said, needs around Rs 65 crore annually to run 225 canteens. "The detailed work map is being worked out," he added.

The Aam Aadmi Party government is closely following ’Amma Canteen’ model started by Tamil Nadu government while implementing this scheme.

The Amma Canteen scheme is a hugely popular one. At these canteens, good quality food is sold at very cheap rates three times a day - morning, afternoon and night.

The Amma Canteen concept involves selling food items such as sambar rice, curd rice, lemon rice, idly and chapatis at very low rates and is aimed at benefiting the working class population, including daily wage labourers.