Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said that officials have been instructed to start at least 250 Indira canteens in Bengaluru, one for each ward in the state capital. The announcement came after discussions to deliberate the resumption of Indira Canteens were held at CM’s home office.
Indira Canteens were started in August 2017 by Siddaramaiah during his first term as chief minister, offering breakfast for ₹5 and dinner and lunch for ₹10. The scheme was previously operated with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) covering 70% of the cost and the government contributing the remaining 30%.
“A revised funding arrangement has been agreed upon, with both the BBMP and the government sharing 50% of the costs each. For Indira Canteens outside of Bengaluru, the government will cover up to 70% of the expenses, while the remaining 30% will be the responsibility of the respective city municipalities. Officials have been instructed to provide a list of potential locations across the state for setting up new Indira Canteens,” said a communication from the CM’s office.
While talking to the media after meeting Siddaramaiah said the government had also decided to change the menu of food items provided at Indira Canteens. “We will float new tenders. The focus will be on quantity, quality and cleanliness,” he said, adding that the government would relaunch the canteens.
{{/usCountry}}While talking to the media after meeting Siddaramaiah said the government had also decided to change the menu of food items provided at Indira Canteens. “We will float new tenders. The focus will be on quantity, quality and cleanliness,” he said, adding that the government would relaunch the canteens.
{{/usCountry}}However, there will be no revision in the rates charged for meals. The Indira Canteen scheme will be reintroduced once the tender process is completed. In an effort to streamline the process, tenders will be decentralized and called for on a zone-wise basis, Siddaramaiah said.
Earlier, Siddaramaiah during the meeting also said that local MLAs and MLCs should also be invited to these canteens on a regular basis to ensure there is a quality check on the food.
In 2018, when the BJP came to power after Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress MLAs shifted camps, there was speculation that the Indira Canteens will be renamed or even closed. Then chief minister BS Yediyurappa, however, announced that the project would continue. But the Congress alleges that instead of immediate closure, the BJP has been slowly closing down these canteens.
In February 2023, the canteens were facing a problem since contractors have not received any payment from the BBMP for over 17 months, with around ₹30-35 crore pending. Pending bills is one of the many problems faced by the canteens, which have seen a reduction in budgetary allocations. Some of the mobile canteens have even closed over the years.
One of the reasons for the delay in payment was a reduction in budgetary allocations. In 2017-18 and 2018-2019, the government allocated ₹100 crore and ₹145 crore, respectively. After the BJP took over, no funds have been allocated for the scheme for two years. As a result, BBMP had to allot funds to the canteens from its already stretched budget. The civic body earmarked ₹60 crore in its 2022-23 budget to run the canteens, which was less than half of what was allotted in 2018-19.