Andhra Pradesh: Chandrababu inaugurates 'Anna Canteens'

Amaravati, July 11: The Andhra Pradesh government today launched the much-awaited 'Anna Canteens' in various parts of the state.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated a canteen in Vijayawada to mark the launch of the programme while, in all, 60 'Anna Canteens' were opened in the first phase across the state.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation will run these canteens.

Setting up 'Anna Canteens', where breakfast, lunch and dinner would be offered at Rs. 5 each, was one of the promises the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) made ahead of the 2014 polls.

In March 2016, the first 'Anna Canteen' named after TDP founder-president N T Rama Rao, was opened on a pilot basis close to the Government Transitional Headquarters at Velgapudi in Amaravati and only three more canteens were opened at other places in the last two years.

Now, with polls just a few months away, the government came out with a plan to set up 203 'Anna Canteens' across the state.

"You can benchmark these canteens internationally. KFC or McDonald's. Quality, environment, cleanliness, hygiene... you name anything, nowhere you will have such perfection," the chief minister said while addressing a public meeting after the inauguration ceremony.

The menu:

Three idlis/ three pooris or upma/pongal (250 grams) would be supplied as tiffin at Rs. 5. Four hundred grams of rice, 100 grams of curry, 120 grams of dal or sambar and 75 grams of curds would be supplied as lunch.

Breakfast would be available from 7.30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Lunch would be available from 12.30 p.m. to 3 p.m., while dinner would be available from 7.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. One special rice item would be supplied on all working days. Sunday would be a holiday

The state government is also making the canteens hi-tech by installing CCTV cameras and other gadgets.

"Once a person enters, his fingerprint or Iris is captured for facial recognition. This will prevent entry of fraudulent people," Mr Naidu pointed out.

He appealed to everyone to donate liberally to run the canteens so that more needy people could be provided food.