Bengaluru: A lack of funds could finish off the Karnataka Congress’ pet project, the Indira Canteen, which provides heavily subsided meals to the urban poor in Bengaluru. Officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP), the Bengaluru civic body that oversees the canteens, warn that the may have to shut down the food joints by the first week of September if they do not receive adequate funds.
The BBMP has sought Rs 210 crore to keep afloat the 173 Indira canteens across Bengaluru city, apart from the 18 mobile units. A BBMP official, who did not wish to be named, said the civic body had written three letters between January and June this year, when the Congress-JD(S) combine was in power, seeking funds but received no response.
Since the BJP took over in July, the scheme, launched by the then Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah in 2017, has been at the heart of a political battle, with the incumbent CM B.S. Yediyurappa alleging largescale corruption and financial irregularities in the setting up and running of the canteens.
“Won’t shut down Indira canteens but will conduct an inquiry into the irregularities as 100 people having meals were shown as 1000 people in records,” Yediyurappa said Wednesday. He added that the BBMP “would release the funds”.
Siddaramaiah hit back, warning the Yediyurappa government of a backlash if these canteens are shut. “Mr. @BSYBJP, Is your tummy so full that you are ignorant about poor man’s hunger? Or Does your party cater to only elites’ appetite?” he said in a series of tweets. “We shall never tolerate any attempt to axe down Indira Canteen.”
Mr. @BSYBJP,
Is your tummy so full that you are ignorant about poor man's hunger?
Or
Does your party cater to only elites' appetite?
We shall never tolerate any attempt to axe down Indira Canteen.
1/4
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) August 28, 2019
The outgoing BBMP commissioner Manjunath Prasad, however, told ThePrint that the fund crunch is severe and a call on the fund allocation would be taken by the Bengaluru mayor Saturday. “If there is no money, the scheme cannot run,” he said.
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The fund crunch
The Indira canteen was among the popular schemes that Siddaramaiah launched during his tenure at the helm. The canteens served three meals a day at Rs 5 and Rs 10 on a daily basis. According to statistics provided by the city corporation, nearly 15 crore meals have been served since 2017.
The canteens have now been suffering as they have not been allocated budgets by either the state government or the BBMP since January.
Outgoing BBMP commissioner Manjunath Prasad, at a corporation council meeting held Tuesday, said the canteens are funded by the state exchequer. According to him, during its launch in 2017-2018, the Siddaramaiah government had allocated Rs 100 crore for the project. This amount was given to the BBMP, which was the nodal agency, to execute the project.
“All the money had been used in setting up the canteens and their maintenance,” a BBMP official told ThePrint.
Prasad told ThePrint that the BBMP incurred an additional expenditure of Rs 24.37 crore in the 2017-18 fiscal as part of infrastructural costs in setting up and operating the Indira canteens.
Prasad said the government allocated Rs 145 crore for the following year but released only Rs 115.38 crore. The civic body, he added, clocked up expenditure of Rs 137 crore towards running these canteens in that year.
“This additional expense of Rs 21.62 crore was borne by the BBMP,” Prasad said. “For 2019-2020 fiscal, the BBMP has sought Rs 210 crore. It has already spent Rs 29.82 crore and another Rs 46.03 crore in running the scheme.”
A political bone of contention
The scheme has also led to a political battle between the BJP and the Congress.
The Congress fears the BJP is looking to rename the scheme as Annapoorna canteens.
Political analysts, however, say the BJP is not bothered about the scheme as the canteens largely cater to the lower middle class.
“They (the BJP) gain their support from the middle and upper-middle class and they are not the ones who use Indira canteens. The BJP is not concerned about this scheme,” said Prof. Narendra Pani of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS). “If they shut it down, the BJP will not lose its voter support. They would rather divert money spent on these canteens to schemes that would benefit them.”
The Indira canteens are modelled on the Amma canteens that former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa had launched in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. The scheme was a major success. and it played a big role in Jayalalithaa’s return to power in 2016.
‘Good scheme, canteens shouldn’t be shut’
Niranjan Dash, who works as a driver for a private firm, eats at the Indira canteen next to his Cambridge Layout workplace in the afternoons. He says the quality of food has deteriorated over the months and the quantity too has been reduced.
“I leave home very early each morning and am unable to pack my lunch on most days. I rely heavily on this canteen for lunch. Initially, the quality was very good for the money we paid. I read they are going to shut it down as there is no money. That’s sad. It’s a good scheme,” he said.
Rakesh Sharanappa, one of the vendors near the Lalbagh area, serves close to 500 to 600 plates a day at his canteen. While there has been a delay in payments, he believes the state government can keep the canteen running if it wants to.
“I eat here along with others every day. The fund crunch will surely hurt us and the thousands of beneficiaries. I request Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa not to shut the Indira canteens down.”
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