Andhra CM relaunches Anna canteens, offering meals at Rs 5

Feeding Poor

♦ Cost of 3 meals: Rs 73 per day

♦ Beneficiary contribution: Rs 15 per day (`5/meal)

♦ Govt subsidy: Rs 58 per person per day

♦ Special menu: Served once a week

♦ Breakfast options: 3 idlis, 3 puris, 250 grams of upma or pongal

♦ Lunch/dinner: 400 grams of rice, 100 grams of

Amaravarati: Anna Canteens, which turned into a big hit during the erstwhile TDP government, were revived on Thursday with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu fulfilling one of the main poll promises to relaunch the scheme to offer breakfast, lunch and dinner across the State at just Rs 5 per person.

At the relaunch event in Gudivada, Krishna district, Naidu, along with his wife Bhuvaneswari, shared the inaugural meal with members of the underprivileged community. He fondly recalled the sacrifices made by Dokka Seethamma, who dedicated her life to feeding the poor in the Godavari districts. Naidu announced that 203 Anna Canteens will be opened across the state as part of this initiative.

Anna Canteens were abandoned after YSRCP formed the government in 2019. In the run-up to the elections in 2024, TDP and Jana Sena Party had promised to revive the canteens along with several other popular assurances.

“We appealed to them not to discontinue the scheme. If required we also asked them to rename it as getting donations and material to run the canteens was not a big issue,” Naidu declared. On behalf of NTR Trust, Bhuvaneswari had donated Rs 1 crore to Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana.

Coinciding with the 78th Independence Day, 100 canteens were inaugurated. They will be operational from Friday. Canteens are located at easily accessible areas like Rythu Bazaars, main thoroughfares and in the vicinity of government hospitals. Naidu said the NDA government is keen that no one should go to work/return home with an empty stomach. According to an estimate, three meals cost Rs 73 per day as against receipt of contribution of Rs 15 at Rs 5 per meal by the beneficiaries. The government grants a subsidy of Rs 58 per person per day. Special menu is served once a week. In the breakfast, the visitors are served three idlis, three puris, 250 gm each upma or pongal. Lunch/dinner consists of 400 gm rice, 100 gm veg curry, dal/sambar (120 gm), chutney (15 gm) and curd 75 gm.

In his address on Independence Day at the State level celebrations, Naidu said there is no room for political vendetta in the TDP-led NDA government, which is committed to rebuilding Amaravti, expedite completion of Polavaram project and finalise the vision document for Vikasit Andhra Pradesh-2047. The vision document is scheduled for release on October 2.

Making it clear that there is no room for political vendetta in the TDP-led NDA government, the Chief Minister said that the coalition government will make all possible efforts to bring the past glory to the State by improving its brand image, which suffered a severe blow during the YSRCP government led by his predecessor YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Naidu said that Andhra Pradesh, which was in the grip of lawlessness, destruction of institutions, corruption and land grabbing, in the past five years, has got back its freedom with the NDA. coming to power in the recent elections with a landslide mandate.

Stating that the State had suffered heavily due to the ‘reverse rule’ adopted by the previous government, more than the bifurcation of the State, he said the people are now enjoying the fruits of freedom.

Regretting that the residual AP did not have even the capital after the bifurcation, the Chief Minister said that the NDA government at the Centre has announced a special assistance of Rs 15,000 crore per annum for building Amaravati. The Centre has also promised to complete the Polavaram project and special package for North coastal Andhra and Prakasam, he stated.

vegetable curry, 120 grams of dal/sambar, 15 grams of chutney, and 75 grams of curd