The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the Anna Canteen in Vijayawada. The canteen will serve Rs. 5 meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Naidu inaugurated the canteen in Vijayawada’s Bhavanipuram while 59 other canteens were inaugurated today. The AP Government released a statement detailing their plans for the Anna Canteens in the State.
The statement read, “The State Government is setting up 203 Anna canteens in 110 municipalities across the state. As part of this, 60 Anna canteens are inaugurated in 25 municipalities under Phase I today. Under Phase II, 143 canteens will be inaugurated in 85 locations by August.
The canteens managed by the Akshaya Patra Foundation will be set up in areas with more daily wage laborers. The canteens are expected to feed over 2 lakh people once they are fully accessible.
Director of Municipal Administration K. Kannu Babu assured the canteens would maintain high standards of quality. He was quoted as saying, “High standards are maintained in terms of service and hospitality offered at the canteens. There is also a mechanism in place to gather feedback through IVRS and take measures accordingly to ensure top standards.”
Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development P. Narayana said, “TDP founder Late Shri Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) introduced the scheme of Rs. 2 per kg rice to feed the poor. In a similar way, our Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu introduced this scheme of Anna Canteens with an aim of feeding the poor. In urban localities, most of the earnings of daily labor and workers go towards their food. With the Anna canteens, they can get all three meals a day for as less as Rs. 15.”
The meals will include upma, pooris, idlis and pongal for breakfast. For lunch and dinner, the canteen’s will serve sambar, dal, rice, curry, curd and pickle.
In 2013, a similar project Amma Canteen was inaugurated by former Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalithaa.
