Bengaluru: Seeing the success of the Indira Canteens in Bengaluru, the state government has decided to start 246 more of these outlets serving highly subsidised food to the poor in all district and taluk headquarters from January 1 next year.
The state Cabinet, which met here on Wednesday, approved the proposal to open more canteens mainly at the district hospitals, bus stands and railway stations, which have a large floating population, at a cost of around Rs. 185 crore. The government is expected to incur expenditure of Rs. 9 crore every month to provide the subsided food at the canteens.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, T.B. Jayachandra, who spoke to reporters after the meeting , said the Cabinet had instructed the district administrations to identify the locations for the canteens and kitchens by November. Each of the 246 canteens will be expected to serve one lakh people.
Giving in to pressure from people of Mudalgi , Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi and BJP MLA, BalaChandra Jarkiholi, the Cabinet decided to give taluk status to the town.
In other decisions it approved extending the CM's Anila Bhagya scheme to 28 lakh beneficiaries , who will each receive a two-burner gas stove , two refill cylinders, one litre kerosene and one rechargeable LED bulb. It's targeted to bring 10 lakh people under the CM's Anila Bhagya Yojana by March 2018. With each kit costing Rs 4040 the scheme will cost Rs 1137 crore.
