BENGALURU: There will be no more Indira Canteens across Karnataka. Don’t get alarmed. In one of its first decisions, the Yediyuappa government has decided to rechristen them as Annapurna Canteens.
The BJP has discussed the name change with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Department of Public Administration. Discussions have been held to ensure that the paperwork to change the name happens quickly once the government issues written orders.
BJP bosses have decided that they won’t name canteens after any political leader, even late former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, party sources said. “Though Indira Gandhi was PM, using her name was Congress’ political gimmick. It had also named many schemes after Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first PM of India,” the sources added.
“The name (Indira Canteen) will not have traction with the change in the regime. The new government has decided to go in for the new name as it was also announced in the party manifesto. Even the canteens in Hyderabad are named Annapurna where subsidised food is served on the lines of Amma Canteen (in Tamil Nadu),” according to the sources.
Also to be on par with Amma Canteen, the BJP government is thinking of reducing the rates of the food served at these canteens and add more options on the menu. For this, it is mulling joining hands with the Akshaya Patra Foundation, which the coalition government was not keen on.
The Siddaramaiah government started Indira Canteens in Bengaluru in August 2017.