Anna canteens finally launched in Andhra Pradesh

Taking inspiration from the ‘Amma’ canteens in Chennai, Andhra Pradesh took a leaf out of the highly successful campaign. As many as 60 ‘Anna’ canteens were opened across Andhra Pradesh in the first phase of the launch. The Akshay Patra Foundation will run these canteens.

The intention behind launching these canteens is to tackle hunger in urban areas. The canteens will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner at Rs 5 a meal. Ministers and officials visited Tamil Nadu and other places many times since 2014 to “study” the functioning of such canteens but the government failed to implement the programme because of financial constraints.

In March 2016, the first ‘Anna Canteen’ named after TDP founder-president N.T. Rama Rao, was opened on a pilot basis close to the Government Transitional Headquarters at Velgapudi in Amaravati and only three more canteens were opened at other places in the last two years. Now, with polls just a few months away, the government came out with a plan to set up 203 ‘Anna Canteens’ across the state.

“You can benchmark these canteens internationally. KFC or McDonald’s. Quality, environment, cleanliness, hygiene… you name anything, nowhere you will have such perfection,” the chief minister said while addressing a public meeting after the inauguration ceremony.

The state government is also making the canteens hi-tech by installing CCTV cameras and other gadgets. “Once a person enters, his finger print or Iris is captured for facial recognition. This will prevent entry of fraudulent people,” Naidu pointed out. He appealed to everyone to donate liberally to run the canteens so that more needy people could be provided food.

States like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Karnataka have started their own versions of subsidised food canteens. In Rajasthan, these canteens go by the name ‘Annapurna Rasoi Yojana’ and offer breakfast for Rs 5 and lunch for Rs 8. Madhya Pradesh and Delhi also have similar canteens operating under the names ‘Deendayal’ canteens and ‘Aam Aadmi’ canteens, respectively. They provide a wholesome nutritious meal for Rs 10.

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