Only first 250 people to be served at Indira canteen!

Running subsidised canteens is not an easy task for any government agency or an NGO. It needs huge resources besides good infrastructure. Implementing such a scheme in a city having more than 1 crore population is really a challenging one. It seems, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah learnt these facts very late.

While announcing the subsidised canteen scheme in his budget speech, the chief minister had stated that the proposed Indira Canteen would serve breakfast, lunch and dinner at a subsidised rate to the poor and it will be unlimited. But on Friday, in a stakeholders' meeting organised by the state government to discuss the implementation of this scheme it was decided that only 250 break fasts, lunch and dinner coupons will be supplied in a day through these 198 subsidised canteens.

According to the sources, it was unanimously decided at the meeting that only first 250 people who arrive at these canteens will be given coupons. BBMP will act as a nodal agency.

"Meeting decided to construct 28 kitchens in each constituency. From these kitchens food will be supplied to 198 canteens. All the works will be distributed through contracts," said an officer.

"Canteens will have CCTVs beside all other facilities. About 70-80 people can have food at a time in a canteen. Food will be limited and only 250 coupons will be distributed each time," he added.