BBMP keen to rope in ISKCON to run Indira canteens
Sanjay R Murty |
NT Bengaluru
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is set to submit a proposal to the State government for partnering with ISKCON to run Indira Canteens. According to BBMP’s Special Commissioner (Finance) Thulasi Maddineni, the proposal will be submitted in a day or two to the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department.
Currently, the food served at about 178 Indira Canteens in the city is being sourced from private agencies including a non-profit organisation.
“The rates in Indira Canteens were fixed in 2017. While we are currently charged Rs 55 per person per day, ISKCON has quoted Rs 78 per day. We will be negotiating and deciding the rates after consultation with the government,” the Special Commissioner said and added that ISKCON was preferred as it has the experience of supplying quality meals on a large scale. She said the increased cost will not be passed on to the beneficiary, who will continue to be charged the same amount. Kiran from Adamya Chetana, an NGO that supplies to about 40 Indira Canteens, said the foundation had not received any official intimation regarding the proposal.
“We have been fulfilling the BBMP’s requirements and there are no complaints about the quality of our food or our service,” he said. A spokesperson from ISKCON’s Akshaya Patra told News Trail that the proposal is still in its initial stages and that it was too early to comment on the matter.
“The menu and ingredients have not yet been decided,” he said. Thulasi Madineni clarified that there was no political pressure to hand over the supply and denied the possibility of a change in the name of the canteens and termed the rumours an ‘imaginative creation.