Government ditches Indira Canteen, stops funding the food scheme

The Kumaraswamy-led Karnataka government has not released any money for Indira Canteens, forcing Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to shell out money from its pockets to continue the subsidised food scheme.

In the year 2017-18 the government had allotted Rs 100 crore to BBMP for Indira Canteens. But the construction and maintenance of canteens itself had cost the Palike nearly Rs 88 core. And Rs 34 crore was spent on maintaining the canteens including the food.

Thus, BBMP has spent more than Rs 23 crore for Indira Canteens from its other allocations. The government has kept Rs 120 crore for the year 2018-19, but the money has not been released to the Palike yet.

Thus even in this year, the Palike has in addition to the earlier mentioned cost, spent over Rs 14 crore for Indira Canteen, say reports.

Currently, Congress MLA Zameer Ahmed is the Food and Civil Supplies Minister and he is expected to release the money soon.

But will the tiff between Congress and JD(S) come in the way of the already existing schemes started by the previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government?