The program is one of the largest public feeding programs in the country
Published Date – Mon, 12/26/22 at 11:45pm
Hyderabad: The Annapurna Food Scheme, the Telangana government’s subsidized meal scheme that provides hot, hygienic meals at Rs 5, has reached a new milestone since its launch in 2014, serving more than 10.22 crore people.
The scheme is one of the largest public feeding programs in the country and is driven by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s vision that no one should go hungry.
Annapurna Canteens took off at eight locations and when they became an instant boon for the poor, the Telangana government increased the number of canteens within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limit to 150.
From March 2014 to November 2022, Rs 1,984.3 crore has been spent to feed 102.2 million people, according to GHMC.
The civic agency that runs the scheme has been making arrangements to serve the food in a better atmosphere. As part of this work, on a pilot basis, seating facilities and shelters have been added to eight Annapurna canteens to make dining more comfortable.
Among them, canteens such as Langar Houz, Tolichowk, Kothapet, Madhapur and Kukatpally also have seating arrangements.
Currently, the Annapurna canteen, run jointly by GHMC and the Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Trust, serves about 45,000 meals a day, including rice, sambar, curry and pickles.
These meals have become a boon for the poor during the Covid-19 lockdown, and the Telangana state government has set up an additional 373 centers and 259 mobile canteens to provide services free of charge, in addition to 150 Annapurna canteens. In 2020-21, more than 2.29 million meals were served.
Annapurna meals are offered at Rs 5 in the afternoon in GHMC restrictions in 17 major government hospitals and GHMC has set a target of serving 80,000 meals a day in these places. “The plan is to provide three meals a day in 17 government hospitals,” said a GHMC official.
