Indira Canteens Might Soon Supply Food To The Pourakarmikas

Indira Canteens are gaining popularity and positive feedbacks and this might be a reason that they are being considered for supplying food to the pourakarmikas according to The Hindu. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has had discussions about this change since the canteens come directly under them.

Iskcon Is The Current Supplier

Currently the nutritious food being supplied to pourakarmikas comes from ISKCON and more than 25,000 people benefit from it. The BBMP budget for this meal supply in 2016-17 was Rs.10 crore and according to the sources the Palike spends Rs.20 per meal each day and that the total cost involved comes up to almost Rs.22 crore annually. “The proposal, though not formal yet, is being discussed, as it is better to provide food from Indira Canteens since they are managed by the BBMP itself. Whatever is being paid to ISKCON may be paid to Indira Canteens,” they said to The Hindu.

The report further said that though pourakarmikas had no problems with the food being supplied by ISKCON, they did want onions and garlic to be added to it. “There have been some requests from pourakarmikas. Discussions in this regard are in the preliminary stage,” said the BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad while talking to The Hindu.

The money spent by the BBMP for the food supplied to the pourakarmikas won’t change much as the food from the Indira canteens will be costing the Palike just as much. “We are paying ISKCON ₹20 per meal. The cost per meal at Indira Canteen is ₹21.50. After subsidy of ₹11.50, the customer pays ₹10 for a meal. So, even if the BBMP decides to provide meals from Indira Canteens, the civic body will be spending around the same amount as it does now,” Prasad told The Hindu.