Taking cue from the famous Amma Canteen of the Tamil Nadu Government that provides food to the poor at a nominal rate, the Gujarat Government has started running 87 canteens across the State to feed the construction workers. Out of these 87 canteens named “Shramik Annapurna Yojana”, 41 are being run in Ahmedabad city. Over 25,000 construction workers spread in 12 cities and registered with the Gujarat Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, get full course meal for just Rs 10.
Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani told The Pioneer that the scheme was launched to provide nutritious meal to the construction workers who assemble at designated places for work every morning. These canteens have been opened to provide meals to the construction workers
who hardly get time to prepare it as they have to
report for work early in the morning at Kadianaka (place for workers).
“We have adopted a humane approach towards construction workers who are working hard and can not spare time enough to prepare food. Our Government has started the trial implementation of Shramik Annapurna Yojana in the five major cities Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Surat, and Baroda, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Valsad, Dharampur, Vapi, Bharuch and Ankleshvar,” the Chief Minister said.
Anil Patel the Chairman of Gujarat Building & Other Construction Workers Welfare Board said, “the labourers assemble near the food stalls on Akhbarnagar crossroads in Ahmedabad to get their food packed in the tiffin. We provide cooked food to them and kitchens with modern facilities have been set up in the cities to cater to them”.
Asked about the quantity of the meal, Patel said that it includes Rotis or Thepla, mix vegetable sabji, cereals, rice, pickle or chutney, green chilies daily and Sukhadi (local sweet) once in a week.
“Due to this scheme more than 25000 construction workers are benefitted daily and we have served over 14 lakh meals till date,” Patel said. There are over 40,000 construction workers who have been registered with the scheme and they are benefitting immensely. Construction worker are enrolled in this scheme at the same food outlet by filling the form and we have issued cards to them,” Patel said.
Gujarat government is paying 19 Rs as subsidy as the actual cost of the food is Rs 29. The food is served near the masonry sites between 7.00 to 11.00 a.m. after producing a proof of registration as construction worker. The food provided under this scheme carries 1850 calories and weight per meal is 700 grams, Patel added.
There were many labourers including men and women who said that are very happy as they do not need to get up early in the morning to prepare food for our family.”
Rama Ben a construction told The Pioneer that she was more relaxed now as earlier, she had to wake up in the morning and buying a single meal would cost around Rs 30. But now I buy it for Rs 10. Despite paying Rs 30 for the food we could not feed ourselves as the quantity of food was not sufficient. But under this scheme launched by the Chief Minister we get sufficient food that too for just Rs 10.
Patel said that as many members of the labourers’s families can avail food at this rate as it has been specifically started to feed them.