Delhi Government Launches Over 100 Atal Canteens Offering Meals at Rs 5
The Delhi government has launched more than 100 Atal Canteens across the capital to provide fresh and nutritious meals to daily wage earners, labourers, and local residents at a subsidised rate of Rs 5 per plate. The initiative was inaugurated on Good Governance Day, marking the 101st birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The canteens have been set up primarily near labour centres, JJ clusters, industrial districts, and transit zones to cater to construction workers, sanitation staff, rickshaw pullers, and other low-income workers. Together, the network of canteens currently serves over 1 lakh meals each day, with each individual facility mandated to provide approximately 1,000 meals daily.
Under the scheme, meals are served twice a day, with each plate providing around 600 grams of balanced nutrition. While the actual cost of preparing each meal is Rs 30, the Delhi government provides a subsidy of Rs 25 per plate, leaving beneficiaries to pay the remaining Rs 5. The nominal fee was instituted to ensure dignity for diners and prevent food wastage.
The canteens are equipped with modern kitchens, LPG-based cooking infrastructure, industrial reverse osmosis (RO) water filtration systems, digital token dispensers, and CCTV surveillance. To maintain food safety and hygiene standards, regular audits are conducted, and food samples are routinely tested by laboratories accredited by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
Several humanitarian organisations have also expressed interest in partnering with the administration to support and expand the canteen operations. The initiative draws inspiration from the Antyodaya philosophy of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and builds on previous national food security initiatives, including the Antyodaya Anna Yojana introduced under former Prime Minister Vajpayee in 2000 and the subsequent implementation of the Right to Food and PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.
