Anna Canteens

The Andhra Pradesh state government is likely to start Anna Canteens, on the lines of Amma Canteens, functioning in Chennai, ahead of municipal polls. Polls to 11 municipal corporations and municipal councils are expected to be held soon.

Though since more than two years, the state government is contemplating to open Anna Canteens, providing quality food items at subsidy prices, throughout the state, till now they failed to materialise. Already extensive exercise was done in this regard.

A three-member ministerial team had visited Chennai in August, 2014 to examine the functioning of Amma Canteens. The Tamil Nadu government has established 230 such canteens all over Chennai city, in which about 1.5 lakh people are having food items daily. They are providing plate idli at Rs 1, sambar rice, pongal and curd rice items each at Rs 5. Similar canteens providing meals at Rs 5 are also functioning in Hyderabad city.

In the first stage, the state government has decided to set up 35 canteens in Visakhapatnam, Anantapur, Tirupati and Guntur. However, still they were not started and kept in cold storage. Recently this issue came up before the ministers’ team.

Civil Supplies Minister Paritala Sunitha said that they are proposing to open 100 canteens in the first phase. However, they have decided to examine once again the functioning of such canteens in Chennai and Hyderabad, before taking a final decision.

Now, the question before them seems to be types of food items to be provided in these canteens. Whether idly and some varieties of rice items or to provide mini-meals? They are also considering to provide popular food items in respective districts.

Though providing quality food items at a nominal price is likely to attract poor in a significant way, the state government seems to be delaying the process.