Subsidised food for urban poor: Bengaluru to have 250 Indira Canteens

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday announced Bengaluru will have 250 Indira Canteens at the rate of one canteen per municipal ward.

Indira Canteen, the stores at public places that sell food items at subsidized rates, is a pet project of Siddaramaiah, and he launched it with much fanfare during his first term as chief minister between 2013 and 2018. He had pledged to revive them after the previous BJP regime did not pay much attention and even toyed with the idea of renaming them as Annapoorna Canteens.

The Congress had mentioned Indira Canteens in its election manifesto, saying it will "rejuvenate existing Indira Canteens and extend them throughout the state." In his first press conference hours after assuming office on May 20, Siddaramaiah pledged to restart them within a month's time.


The CM said that the Indira Canteen project will be restarted after a sector-wise tender process. The government, however, has not given a timeline on when they will start operation.

Siddaramaiah, speaking after a meeting with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials, announced that the civic body, which was shouldering 70% of the operational cost of the canteen, would now be splitting the cost equally with the state government. In the rest of the state, the government would bear 70% of the cost, whereas the local body concerned would contribute 30%.

The canteens would revamp their menu and ensure that the quality and quantity of food is maintained, said Siddaramaiah. As of today, there are 175 canteens in Bengaluru, of which 163 are operational. They provide breakfast at Rs 5, while lunch and dinner cost Rs 10 each. The rates, said the CM, will remain unchanged.