Indira Canteens fading out, despite demand

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Indira Canteens, a pet project of the previous Siddaramaiah government, now faces an uncertain future with some even having downed shutters. One of the still operational canteens is located on the main road of Gangagondanahalli, which falls under the Nagarbhavi ward.

"On occasions, over 600 people visit the facility and rely on it for their daily food requirements in a day. Most of them are daily wage workers and tend to come in with every member of their family, even the children. Delivery boys and others can also be seen," said a watchman at the facility.

He added that the subsidised costs of the meals are what attracts the crowds. While a stomach filling meal outside costs a minimum of Rs 40, one can buy a meal at the Indira Canteen for a mere Rs 10. The watchman added that the canteen in the neighbouring ward is also functional and draws huge crowds since it is situated near a bus stop and various educational institutions.

Indira Canteens were introduced in 2017 with the objective of serving the urban poor, drawing inspiration from the Amma canteen model followed in Tamil Nadu. The canteen initiative, named after the former prime minister Indira Gandhi, was allocated a budget of Rs 100 crore by the then chief minister Siddaramaiah.

On August 16, 2017 over 101 Indira canteens were inaugurated within the city limits by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who even had breakfast at a canteen located in Jayanagar. Their popularity led to its expansion into all the 198 wards of the city. Following the success, it was later expanded to various districts across the state.

At present, Indira Canteens provide breakfast at Rs 5 and lunch and dinner at the cost of Rs 10. There are currently over 174 fixed Indira canteens and over 24 mobile canteens serving hundreds of thousands of people. Those belonging to lower socio-economic groups make the best use of the meals provided at a subsidised cost.

However, the opposition alleges that the functioning of these effective canteens has changed since the BJP has come into power. While canteens continue to operate, they have not been incentivised in any way, pushing them to the path of closure. During the year 2017-18 and 2018-19, the then government had allotted Rs 100 crore and Rs 145 crore respectively.

However, since the BJP government came to power in the state, in the last two years, no money has been specifically allotted for the initiative. To make up for this void, the municipal body has been setting aside funds for the canteens from its own budget. For the year 2022-23, the BBMP had allotted Rs 60 crores from its own budget.

A decision to shut down the canteens entirely has not been taken yet but the contractors have been complaining of not being paid for long durations of time. Siddaramaiah in the year 2020 had written a letter to the then chief minister BS Yediyurappa to clear all the contractors’ bills.

He had made an allegation that the BJP government was trying to suppress the welfare scheme by making sure the funds are not released during the stipulated time, in turn making it an issue for the civic body to clear the contractors’ bills. The current government has also not made an effort to install any new canteens in the last year.