CM to inaugurate Anna Canteen at Dharanikota on April 15

Vijayawada: The state government would establish 62 new Anna Canteens in rural areas, taking the total number of this facility to 269.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu would inaugurate an Anna Canteen at Dharanikota village of Pedakurapadu assembly segment in Palnadu district at 1.30 pm on April 15. He would leave his Undavalli residence at 12.40 pm on Wednesday and arrive at Dharanikota. After the inauguration, he would take his meal along with the beneficiaries and return to his residence at Undavalli by 2.45 pm.

The alliance government has set up 207 Anna Canteens, 204 of them in cities and three in rural areas. Anna Canteens provide meals at the rate of Rs 5. This is conceived as a safeguard against hunger.

The government wants to set up 62 new Anna Canteens now, mainly in the rural areas.

The YSR Congress government had closed all the Anna Canteens set up during the 2014-19 period by the TDP government. After the alliance government was elected to power in the 2024 polls, it resumed the Anna Canteens.

Accordingly, 8.80 crore poor people ate food at the Anna Cantees across the state so far in the last over 20 months. On average, 1,013 persons eat in each Anna Canteen per day. This costs the exchequer Rs 26,250.

At the existing 207 Anna Canteens, 2.10 lakh persons are eating food a day, and it costs over Rs 54 lakh. The government had released a subsidy of Rs 243 crore so far. With more Anna Canteens coming up soon, the cost could escalate to Rs 58 crore by way of subsidy from the government.