₹10 meal statewide hit; 96% thalis sold on Day 3

The state government’s subsidised meal scheme, Shiv Bhojan, which kicked off on Republic Day, received a good response with 96% of the meal plates being sold at

The state government’s subsidised meal scheme, Shiv Bhojan, which kicked off on Republic Day, received a good response with 96% of the meal plates being sold at 122 eateries across the state on Tuesday.

HT Image

Officials from the state food and civil supplies department said 13,679 of the 14,180 thalis served at 122 eateries across the state were sold on Tuesday. The number of meals sold on day three saw a steep surge from the 11,300 meals sold on the day the scheme was launched and the 13,450 thalis sold on Monday.

On Tuesday, in Mumbai alone, 1,201 meal plates of the total 1,250 were sold at 10 eateries, including Nair Hospital, KEM Hospital, Sion Hospital, Cooper Hospital, VN Desai Hospital, the district collector’s office at Bandra, and Shiv Shakti Nagar in Dharavi. In Thane, 670 of the 1,350 meals served across seven Shiv Bhojan eateries were sold on Tuesday.

“Some districts, such as Ahmednagar, Akola, Aurangabad and Buldhana, witnessed a 100% sale of the thalis,” said Mahesh Pathak, principal secretary, food and civil supplies department.

Speaking to the beneficiaries in Kolhapur and Nandurbar via video conferencing, food, civil supplies and consumer protection minister Chhagan Bhujbal said the scheme has received a “tremendous” response.

“With this response, we will soon have to increase the scope of the scheme,” Bhujbal said, adding that his department would seek a budgetary allocation for the scheme in the upcoming state budget. Officials said 17 more eateries are likely to be added across the state for beneficiaries to avail the scheme.