Nearly 200 mobile food vans offering breakfast at Rs 5 and a nutritious full meal at Rs 10 would soon be stationed outside hospitals, railway stations and other busy spots as part of Arvind Kejriwal government’s plan to replicate the popular “Amma Unavagam” canteens in Tamil Nadu.
Kejriwal’s affordable meal plan envisages a 200-unit chain of ‘Aam Aadmi Canteens’, which would be monitored by the Bureau of Affordable Meals – a society formed by the government.
Sources said the rollout of the first batch of canteens would cover high footfall areas like government hospitals, railway stations and bus terminals, industrial areas and markets.
“No decision has yet been taken,” said an official when asked if Aam Aadmi Canteens would also be opened in permanent buildings – an experiment successfully tried out in Tamil Nadu.
All Aam Aadmi Canteens would be equipped with an RO system for drinking water. These would serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Health Minister Satyendar Jain would be the chairman of the society which has a kitty of Rs 10 crore for the next nine months of the current financial year.
Other members of the society include Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Principal Secretary of Revenue Department, Secretary of Administrative Reforms Department, Special Secretary of Finance Department and Secretary of Health Department.
The detailed blueprint of launching the Aam Aadmi Canteens is likely to be discussed by Health Department officials at a meeting on Friday.
A decision on the fate of Jan Aahar mobile food vans launched by the previous Congress government is also likely to be taken in the meeting. The 100-odd Jan Aahar vans sell a thali for Rs 18.
The AAP canteen project has now been handed over to the Health Department after slow progress over the past three months under the joint efforts of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi and the Food and Supplies Department.
The society is supposed to be the main-decision making body for the proposed canteens meant to cater to poor workers, office goers and travellers.
The plan to introduce affordable meal vans was announced by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the 2016-17 Budget.
He claimed that the AAP government’s affordable and hygienic meal plan would be superior and very different from the previous Congress government’s model.
Published 15 July 2016, 09:07 IST