Bengaluru's sanitation workers can now buy breakfast with smart cards. All about the ‘Annapoorna’ scheme: Report

Bengaluru introduces the Annapoorna Scheme, providing sanitation workers with smart cards preloaded with funds for breakfast.

In a city that wakes up to the rhythm of honking horns and filter coffee, Bengaluru is about to serve up something even more meaningful - breakfast with dignity for those who keep it running clean.

Starting September 1, Bengaluru's 'Annapoorna Scheme' will provide sanitation workers with smart cards loaded with ₹1,500 monthly for breakfast. (PTI)

Starting September 1, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will roll out the ‘Annapoorna Scheme’, a trailblazing initiative aimed at ensuring that the city’s sanitation workers begin their mornings with not just a meal, but respect, reported news agency PTI.

Unveiled by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the scheme is being pitched as a first-of-its-kind in India. At the heart of it are smart cards - powered by Axis Bank - that come preloaded with ₹1,500 every month. These cards will be handed out to over 700 BWSSB sanitation workers, who can then swipe their way to a breakfast of their choice at local eateries across the city.

"Bengaluru the first city to provide direct financial assistance for daily breakfast to sanitation workers," BWSSB chairman Ram Prasath Manohar said, as quoted by the agency.

"This is our way of saluting the relentless efforts of those who keep our city clean. We want every worker to begin the day with good health, nutrition, and respect," he added.

Unlike the typical welfare handouts that come with strings attached, Annapoorna puts the power in the hands of the workers. Whether it’s piping hot idlis near Majestic or a masala dosa at a neighborhood darshini, workers get to choose what they eat - and where.

(With inputs from PTI)