Kejriwal govt to start ‘Aam Aadmi’ canteens in Delhi

Delhi: The Delhi government is all set to start ‘Aam Aadmi’ canteens in Delhi in the state, as per reports on Thursday.The canteen will reportedly provide meals to people at Rs 5-10 per meal.Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today formally approved the proposal by the Delhi Dialogue Commission (DDC), its vice chairman Ashish Khetan told the media, as per IANS.The food would be sold at “reasonable rates – with the maximum amount being Rs 10″, Khetan said.Khetan said the model was prepared after a survey was conducted in Tamil Nadu and Odisha where such canteens are operating.He did not divulge the approximate cost of the project.”It will be our plan to set up these canteens within the next one or two months. In the first phase, we will set up the aam aadmi canteens at hospitals, industrial areas, colleges and commercial hubs,” Khetan added.The canteens would be run by the department of food and supplies.Tamil Nadu too has canteens which are run at subsidized rates.These canteens are called Amma Unavagam, which means ‘Mother Restaurant’ and is run by the state government.Idlis are said to cost just Rs 1 each, sambar rice Rs 5 and curd rice Rs 3 at these canteens.Initially the canteens were opened in Chennai and later it spread to other parts of the state like Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Tirunelvelli, Tuticorin, Salem, Erode, Vellore and Tirupur.’Amma’ is said to refer to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who introduced the concept of subsidized canteens aimed at providing meals at cheap rates to the poor.Jayalalithaa is called ‘Amma’ by her party members and her supporters.