Delhi: AIIMS to soon have an Atal Canteen; to operate for 12 hours

AIIMS will soon launch an Atal Canteen with extended hours, offering subsidized meals for ₹5 to families of patients, aiming to support low-income visitors.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will soon have an Atal Canteen with increased operational hours from 10 am to 10 pm, to provide subsidised meals to families and relatives visiting the hospital, senior government officials said.

The construction will likely be completed around two month from now and a budget of ₹30 lakh has been allocated for the same, officials said. (HT)

The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has floated bids. The construction will likely be completed around two month from now and a budget of ₹30 lakh has been allocated for the same, officials said.

A senior government official said, “AIIMS is also visited by several families coming from financially poor background. An Atal canteen will provide relief to such families and provide them with a dignified meal with just ₹5 per thali. Another unit of the canteen is set to come up near Anand Vihar railway station opposite to Vivek Vihar.”

The official quoted above said that the operating hours for the AIIMS canteen will be different from the existing slots. Currently, canteens serve lunch from 11.30 am to 2 pm and dinner from 6.30 pm to 9.30. The revised timings will be helpful for the people accompanying the patients and visitors who spend long hours at the hospital.

The Atal Canteen scheme was launched on December 25 last year by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Delhi government on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Officials said the scheme aims to provide subsidised, nutritious food to economically weaker sections. Each canteen serves up to 500 people daily per meal with roti, sabzi, dal, and rice under a fully digital and monitored system.

The government had allocated ₹104 crore for implementing the Atal Canteen scheme across the city. Around 40 additional canteens are planned near government hospitals as part of the expansion, officials said.

According to a report by DUSIB, 74 canteens have been made operational till April 2026 and around 30 locations have been revised from the original list. As per the current status report, 74 sites are operational, eight sites are under construction and 18 sites are under award.