After hospitals, the state government is planning to open Indira canteens in schools and colleges, including private ones.
Speaking after the launch of 20 mobile Indira canteens at the Vidhana Soudha here on Friday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the subsidised eateries would be opened in educational institutions across Karnataka to provide affordable food to students.
He criticised those opposing the project. "Only people who don't know the pain of hunger will speak ill of this project and try to create obstacles. These people have no shame to indulge in such frivolous matters," he said. "We want to build a hunger-free and malnourishment-free Karnataka, and Indira Canteen is the solution for that."
N Manjunath Prasad, Commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), said they would conduct a study on the number of schools where the canteens could be opened. "We will find out if we need to open static or mobile canteens," he said. "Whatever be the political compulsion, what matters the most is the joy of seeing the poor eat healthy and affordable meals."
The mobile canteens will be run on a trial basis until February 1. The trial period will help the staff get familiar with the demands of the job. A total of 24 mobile Indira canteens will function from February 1 onwards.
Bengaluru Development and Town Planning Minister K J George, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Dinesh Gundu Rao, Mayor R Sampath Raj and Manoj Rajan, Special Commissioner (Indira Canteens), BBMP, were present on the occasion.
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