Under the Annapurna Dal-bhat scheme, over 20,000 people are taking stomachful of food at Rs5 on daily basis in Chhattisgarh.Aimed at providing food to the poor and needy people on cheap rate at Rs5, the Food and Civil Supplies department had started this scheme in 2004.
According to official information, at present, 145 Dal-bhat centres are functioning at different public places including bus stands, railway stations, hospitals and court premises. These centres are operating with the cooperation of social institutions, women self-help groups and social workers.The Food Department supplies rice at Rs2 per kg, 10 kg gram at Rs5 per kg, 10 kg Dal at Rs10 per kg and 5 kg Amrit salt free of cost to these Dal-bhat centres, as per their eligibility. During the current financial year, a target is set to open 50 new Dal-bhat centres in the state.
Officers said that 16 Dal-bhat centres are functional in Bilaspur district, where as in Raipur and North Bastar (Kanker) districts 15 Dal-bhat centres each are operational. Similarly, 9 Dal-bhat centres in Raigarh district, Durg-8, Korea-7 and 6 each in Janjgir-Champa, Mungeli, Balodabazar-Bhattapara and Balod districts are functional.
Five Dal-bhat centres each are functional in Bastar, Rajnandgaon, Dhamtari, Mahasamund, Jashpur and Surguja districts, 4 each in Korba, Gariaband and Surajpur districts, 2 in Balrampur-Ramanujganj and one each in Bijapur, Kondagaon and Sukma districts.