The State government is still in first gear regarding setting up of Anna NTR canteens though the State Cabinet had approved the proposal in 2014.
The government launched only one canteen in the State that too at Velagapudi near Interim Government Complex (IGC) in June this year. In 2014, the government announced that 15 centres would be opened in Visakhapatnam, 10 in Guntur and five each at Tirupati and Anantapur in phase- I. The fact remains that the officials are still studying various models to roll out more canteens across the State. There is no consensus on the food items to dish out to the people.
While there is a proposal to serve lunch with all dishes such as curry, chutney and sambar, the officials negate it saying different types of rice—sambar rice, tamarind rice and curd rice-- could be served at these canteens. The GoM is, now, also mulling over a proposal to provide region-specific food at the NTR Canteens. The officials would have to study the food preferences of people in the State. It takes back the issue to square one and a Group of Ministers (GoM) on ‘Anna canteens’, subsequently, has decided to study the models in Telangana and Tamil Nadu again.
A high-powered delegation headed by Civil Supplies Minister Paritala Sunitha already visited Chennai along with a team in 2014 to study how these canteens, taken up by the Jayalalithaa Government in Tamil Nadu function. The delegation studied whether these could be replicated in AP. The officials also studied the model followed in neighbouring Telangana State.
The government had planned to initially provide subsidised food to around 1 lakh people in the first phase. The officials are now scouting for places which are labour intensive saying that the government target was to reach out the labourers. “We are planning to start 100 canteens at places such as Visakhapatnam, Nellimara, Rajam, Tirupati, SRikakulam, Anantapur, Hindupur, Kurnool and Kakinada shortly,” says Ms. Sunitha. The government also plans to supply region-specific food at these canteens. A proposal to provide full meals is also on cards. We are exploring all the options, she adds.
The menu
They (the canteens) are modelled on the lines of Amma Canteens that gained immense popularity in Tamil Nadu. An idly costs just Re.1 in Anna Canteens. Two hundred grams of pongal and an equal quantity of tomato bath costs Rs.5 each. Two hundred grams of sambar rice, pulihora (tamarind rice) and vegetable rice costs Rs.5 each, and 150 grams of curd rice costs Rs.3.
There was an overwhelming response to the Velagapudi canteen. Not less than700 people visit the canteen every day. About 500 people have meals there. The government is providing a subsidy of Rs. 4.38 lakh as against total expenses of Rs. 7 lakh per month, she explains.
