Delhi CM lays foundation stone of Atal Canteen in Sanjay Basti

Each canteen will serve fresh, hygienic meals at ₹5, Rekha Gupta said, stressing that her administration is committed to ensuring that no citizen sleeps hungry.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Friday laid the foundation stone of an ‘Atal Canteen’ at Sanjay Basti in Timarpur and announced that the government will inaugurate 100 such canteens across the capital on December 25, which is the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The CM said that all poor households will be provided pucca homes equipped with toilets, kitchens and LPG connections. (PTI)

Each canteen will serve fresh, hygienic meals at ₹5, she said, stressing that her administration is committed to ensuring that no citizen sleeps hungry.

Taking a swipe at previous regimes, the CM also said Delhi’s slum clusters had suffered decades of neglect.

“For the first time, the current government has earmarked ₹700 crore for development of slum areas and work on roads, drains, toilets, parks, health facilities and community infrastructure is now progressing rapidly. We are not here to demolish slums. We are here to ensure that every family living in them gets security and essential facilities,” she said.

Gupta added that all poor households will be provided pucca homes equipped with toilets, kitchens and LPG connections.

Canteens will feature clean serving areas, RO drinking water, stainless-steel furniture, digital token systems, real-time CCTV monitoring and safe waste management. Both lunch and dinner will be served daily and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will monitor the food quality, ensuring strict hygiene and health certifications mandated for staff.

Urban development minister Ashish Sood said the initiative is dedicated to the ‘Antyodaya’ philosophy of Deendayal Upadhyaya, ensuring that development reaches the last person.

“Delhi has been shaped by the labourers who built this city, the mothers, sisters and the elderly, and it is the government’s responsibility to ensure a life of dignity for them,” said Sood.

Marking Vajpayee’s 100th birth anniversary, the canteens will operate with a ₹100 crore budget, he said, adding that the scheme will not only provide clean and nutritious food to local women, gig workers, but also generate employment for them.