Principal secretary Radha Raturi asked the district administrations on Thursday to identify the places where Indira Amma subsidised canteens would come up, given the State government’s resolve to set up at least one such canteen in each district by the end of November. The women-run self- help groups will be given priority to run such canteens, she said. Radha Raturi along with the principal secretary Rural Development Manisha Panwar convened a meeting with district magistrates through video conferencing on Thursday.
Raturi also enquired into the places they have identified for the Indira Amma canteens. She stressed on the accessibility of such places where the canteens would come up for the common man while saying the project is solely meant for them. “The project was envisaged to provide the poor with nutritious food at cheap rates,” Raturi said, adding that the all woman SHGs should be asked to run the canteens. She also stressed on local produce being included in the menu.
Panwar said that in the hilly areas, the rates might be a little higher. “We need a detailed report on it. For infrastructure, banks and the public sectors should be approached. Those selected should be sent to Dehradun for further training. For this CDO Dehradun has been instructed to coordinate with all districts,” she said.
During the conference, DMs and CDOs apprised that they had identified the places like Chamba in Tehri, Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar, Vikas Bhawan in Pithoragarh, bus stand in Rudraprayag, Vikas Bhawan in Uttarkashi, DM office in Pauri, Roorkee in Haridwar, Doon Hospital, Transport Nagar and Poly-technique Institute at Suddhowala in Dehradun and Saras Bazaar at Haldwani in Nainital. later, Raturi along with Pant visited Doon Hospital for physical verification of the site earmarked to house the upcoming Indira Amma canteen. She instructed the secretary MDDA to complete construction work of the canteens coming up in Doon Hospital and Transport Nagar shortly. She asked them to give emphasis on people’s comfort so that they are not inconvenienced while having food. She also asked for parking arrangements being made.