Indira canteen budget allocations lowest since the initiative began

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The poor in the city can breathe easy as Indira Canteens have been allotted funds by the municipal body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). In its budget presentation on Thursday, it was announced that over Rs 50 crore will be used to maintain and develop Indira Canteens.

While the canteens may not be completely abolished and will still function in small numbers across the city thanks to the funding, the quality and the quantity of food provided may dwindle as this is the lowest allocation since the initiative was introduced by the Congress government when Siddaramaiah was chief minister.

The canteen initiative named after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was allocated a budget of Rs 100 crore by Siddaramaiah. On August 16, 2017 over 101 Indira Canteens were inaugurated within the city limits by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had the first breakfast at a canteen located in Jayanagar.

Their popularity led to an expansion to all wards of the city. Following the success, it was later expanded to various districts across the state. 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 scheme. To keep the kitchens going, for the year 2022-23, the BBMP had allotted Rs 60 crore from its own budget.