Maharashtra MVA govt's Shiv Bhojan Thali comes to the aid of millions

The Shiv Bhojan Thali, the flagship scheme of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government has emerged as a saviour for the poor and needy people.

A brainchild of Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, the meal-plate comprises two chapatis, rice, dal and a sabji.

Launched as part of the common minimum programme of the MVA, it has become a boon during the lockdown period.

The scheme was launched on January 26, 2020, and was priced at Rs 10.

However, in March 2020, after the outbreak of Covid-19, when the lockdown was announced, the price was brought down to Rs 5.

Now, the Chief Minister has announced that from Thursday, the thali would be given free for a month’s time in form parcels.

The Shiv Bhojan Thali's roll-out is being spearheaded by Food and Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal.

“The daily rollout of Shiv Bhojan Thali is two lakh plates. So far, over five crore meals have been provided to people,” officials told DH on Wednesday.

Since April 2020, the scheme has been extended to the tehsil-level.

The Shiv Bhojan Thali, when launched, had 50 outlets – spread across 36 districts. Now there are hundreds of outlets.