BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that officials have been instructed to start at least 250 Indira Canteens, one for each ward of Bengaluru. The Chief Minister spoke to the media at his home office ‘Krishna’ on Monday.
According to the Chief Minister, discussions were held regarding the resumption of Indira Canteens. Earlier, 70 per cent of the cost of the Indira Canteen was paid by BBMP and 30 per cent by the government. But now, it has been decided that BBMP and government will share 50 per cent of the costs.
For Indira Canteens outside Bengaluru, the cost up to 70 per cent will be paid by the government and 30 per cent by local bodies. Officers were instructed to provide a list of places in the state where new Indira Canteens can be started, the CM said.
Indira Canteen’s menu will be changed and instructions will be given to officers to maintain good quality and cleanliness of the canteens. However, the rates will not be revised.
The CM said the Indira Canteen scheme will be relaunched after the completion of a tender process. “The tender process is being decentralised and zone-wise tenders are being called”, he said.
Indira Canteens were started by the Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka in 2017 with the aim to provide meals to the economically disadvantaged sections of society at a subsidised price. (ANI)