VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reiterated that true development is possible only when hunger is eradicated. He said no progress is meaningful if the poor are deprived of food, stressing that the government’s priority is to ensure food security through Anna Canteens.
Launching a rural Anna Canteen at Dharnikota in Pedakurapadu constituency, the CM purchased a Rs 5 token and joined workers for lunch.
He personally served meals to beneficiaries before dining with them, enquiring about the taste, cleanliness, and quality of food. “Filling stomachs is the foundation of real development. From NTR’s Rs 2 rice scheme to today’s Anna Canteens, food security has always been central to our welfare agenda,” he remarked.
Since assuming office in 2024, the government has set up 207 Anna Canteens. On Wednesday, another 62 were opened in rural areas, raising the total to 269. Plans are underway to add five more soon. Over the past 21 months, Anna Canteens have served 8.80 crore meals, with each canteen feeding an average of 1,013 people daily. The state has spent Rs 243 crore on subsidies, with new rural canteens adding an annual burden of Rs 58 crore.
The CM praised the Akshaya Patra Foundation for its continuous food supply.