Food at Indira canteens to cost more soon

“Nothing can be said about the quality as the contractors at some canteens, where complaints have come from, have not been changed,” he said.
Indira Canteen (File Photo | EPS)
Indira Canteen (File Photo | EPS)

BENGALURU: Eating at the Indira Canteens, which are quite popular with scores private firm employees, autorickshaw drivers, school and college students among others for the subsidised meals, will soon get costlier. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) wants the cost of each meal raised by at least Rs 5. If this happens, breakfast, which now costs Rs 5 will be charged at Rs 10 while lunch/dinner will escalate from Rs 10 to Rs 15 per plate.

While the proposal is still under discussion, the BBMP wants it to be implemented before the budget. A senior BBMP official said they were unable to call for tenders from caterers and the only option left is to raise the prices. The official was unable to explain if the quality of food will improve after the rates are revised.  

Revision in rates mooted to make up for shortfall in fund 

“Nothing can be said about the quality as the contractors at some canteens, where complaints have come from, have not been changed,” he said. The official added that if the rates at Bengaluru’s Indira Canteens are revised, it will be done in other districts also. Speaking to media on the sidelines of the council meeting, Mayor M Goutham Kumar said the matter is being discussed and a hike in prices is on the cards. But no final decision has been taken yet. The BBMP had allocated Rs 120 crore in the budget for this of which Rs 60 crore comes from the state government and the remaining from BBMP. The corporation pays Rs 38 per plate to the contractor whereas the customer pays Rs 5 or Rs 10 only.

Palike Commissioner B H Anil Kumar explained that since the BBMP was unable to pay the subsidy amount, a revision of prices is being discussed to make up for the shortfall. The Indira Canteen was the flagship programme of the Congress government and was launched by former chief minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru in August, 2017. It was envisaged to offer food to people at subsidised rates on the lines of the Amma Canteen of Tamil Nadu. Ever since the JDS-Congress coalition and later the BJP governments came to power, the canteens have been in the news over financial assistance and naming them after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

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