From April, poor denizens in five cities in the State would have lunch packs at affordable price as the State Government is going to roll out an ‘Aahar’ scheme for them. The Government would provide a meal at Rs 5 to the urban poor in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Brahmapur and Rourkela. The menu of the vegetarian meal would comprise plain rice and Dalma.
Taking a cue from Tamil Nadu, the Odisha Government has decided to open Aahar centres at bus-stands, railway stations, Collectorates and hospitals in these locations. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here on Monday. The poor people visiting these cities can avail the meal at lunch time while the Government would make necessary arrangements to provide food to 25,000 people each day, said a release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
While the Food Supply and Consumer Welfare and Urban Development Departments would provide the infrastructure, corporate houses would provide assistance for the scheme, sources said. The scheme would be extended to other urban areas in the coming years depending on its success in the five cities, said official. “These initiatives have been accused of being ‘populist’, but this model of providing affordable cooked food in urban areas ensures food security and also keeps food prices in check,” said an official.