Indira Canteens: Keep politics out

Life is being gradually snuffed out of the state-subsidised Indira Canteens which were providing hot and healthy food to people engaged in menial work, patients and attendants at public hospitals, gig workers, pourakarmikas, labourers, and students. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party Government which took office in 2019 has been unfavourably disposed towards the scheme conceptualized during the tenure of the preceding Congress government by then chief minister Siddaramaiah a la Amma Canteens in Tamil Nadu. 185 such canteens were started in August 2017 in places identified for greater footfall of common people, floating population and haunts of poor and daily wage labourers. But the BJP had been uncomfortable with their being named ‘Indira’ after the former prime minister.

Secondly, the fact that the credit for the pioneering effort went to Mr Siddaramaiah, bête noire for the BJP, also earned its displeasure. Consequently, the budget has been continually slashed for the popular food outlets. At one point it was feared that the BJP Govt would close them, but Mr Yediyurappa wanted them to continue.

However, several of them are facing closure as the BJP government has either been slashing the budget or not been clearing the bills for contractors supplying food. At one stage, the State Government passed on the responsibility of their operation in the city to the BBMP, a body already facing budgetary constraints. Going by the recent headlines, the one at the Malleswaram Govt Hospital is being demolished under the pretext of expansion of the hospital.\

The slashing of the budgetary allocation is the obvious reason for delay in payment to the contractors. In 2017-18 and 2018-19, the Government allocated Rs 100 crore and Rs 145 crore respectively. But no funds have been allocated for the scheme for the past two years and the BBMP has been allotting funds from its already overstretched resources. It earmarked only Rs 60 crore in 2022-23, less that half of what was allotted in 2018-19.

Consequently, the BBMP had closed 15 of the mobile Indira Canteen in December last year. Moreover, power and water being supplied to the eateries, are charged at commercial rates. The contractors have been seeking these to be levied the domestic rates as the scheme is meant for the poor and needy who provide the human infrastructure for the city and its essential services.

There have even been cases of power and water supplies being severed due to outstanding bills. Some of the canteens have even been purchasing water from private suppliers and tankers. Official circles have most often trotted out declining footfall, lack of public patronage for the outlets and next to nil clientele during evenings. But the ones visiting them regularly complain of declining variety of items.

The Indira Canteens should not be allowed to be closed as they come under food subsidy scheme of the government and serve the urban poor. If patronage has come down, the authorities need to review and revisit the original objectives and functioning and make suitable changes in the scheme. Lastly, a useful scheme should not be viewed from political prism. Rather the public interest it serves should be the foremost concern.