Women’s self-help groups to be roped in to run Indira Canteens

BENGALURU: The Indira Canteen, a flagship project of the Congress-led government, is currently in a state of disarray. Not long ago, the Indira Canteen were considered as the ‘Annapurneshwari for the urban poor’. But of late, The canteens have lost favour with the public due to substandard food and poor management.

The BBMP had earlier handed over the management to various private companies, but the experiment was unsuccessful with financial due yet to be settled. Now, the government plans to hand over the management of the Indira Canteens to women’s self-help groups (SHGs), which may benefit both the women and the urban poor.

There are 175 old and 52 new Indira Canteens in the city. Over 40 of the old canteens have closed down, and the remaining ones struggle with poor food quality and management, driving customers away.

The government aims to revive the Indira Canteens by handing it over to run by women’s self-help groups.