BENGALURU: State Planning Board deputy chairman C M Ibrahim on Sunday urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to open Anna canteens, on the lines of Tamil Nadu’s Amma canteens.
Speaking at a function organised by the Taralabalu Centre here, Ibrahim urged the CM to include this scheme in his next budget. Idlis and lemon rice for breakfast, and puliogare and curd rice for lunch and dinner can be served at Rs.5 per plate, he said. Expressing concern at expensive food in hotels, he said this is almost beyond the reach of low-income people. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dinesh Gundurao had to abandon a proposal to set up such canteens because of financial constraints. It is said the subsidy for the Anna Bhagya scheme that amounts to around Rs.4,000 crore per year has put the government in a tight spot.