Delhi to get 'aam aadmi canteens'

Delhi will soon get "aam aadmi canteens" -- a la Tamil Nadu -- where "good quality, hygienic and nutritious food" will be available for up to Rs.10, it was announced on Thursday.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal formally approved the proposal by the Delhi Dialogue Commission (DDC), its vice chairman Ashish Khetan told the media.

The food would be sold at "reasonable rates -- with the maximum amount being Rs.10", said Khetan, an Aam Aadmi Party leader who had contested the Lok Sabha election in 2014.

He said the food would be nutritious and the menu at the canteens would have variety.

The canteens target the lower strata of the society including an estimated 10 lakh construction workers, five lakh street hawkers and over four lakh slum dwellers in the capital, Khetan said.

He said the model was prepared after a survey was conducted in Tamil Nadu and Odisha where such canteens operate.

In Tamil Nadu, at the hugely popular "Amma Canteens", a plate of idly with sambar is sold for just Re.1 while pongal -- staple rice and lentil food -- costs Rs.5.

Khetan 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 Delhi government's department of food and supplies. - IANS