Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Credit: PTI Photo
The Madhya Pradesh government on Saturday launched food vehicles under the Deendayal Rasoi Yojana aimed at providing a full meal to labourers and the needy at Rs 5 near their work locations.
The food vehicles were flagged off by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Notably, assembly elections are due in Madhya Pradesh in November this year.
"Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay used to consider the poor as God and according to his mantras, many schemes are being operated in Madhya Pradesh to serve such people," Chouhan said on the occasion.
He said poor people can now buy food at concessional rates.
"Migrant workers and other needy citizens can get a full meal near their workplace through this scheme," the chief minister added.
Chouhan said a major chunk of the daily earnings of labourers who come to cities for work is spent on food, but now, they will get fresh food at just Rs 5 at their place of work which will save them money and time.
He said the state government has made arrangements to provide a grant of Rs 10 per person under the Deendayal Rasoi scheme.
The subsidised food scheme was launched on February 7, 2017, at 56 centres including those located at the district headquarters and six prominent religious places.
Currently, 166 such centres are being operated while 25 mobile food vans have been launched, according to officials.
"The food vehicles, each costing around Rs 25 lakh, have the facility for keeping the food hot. The thalis at the rate of Rs 5 per plate will be provided from 10 AM to 3 PM every day," they said.
Three such food vehicles will operate in Bhopal, four in Indore, two each in Gwalior and Jabalpur, and one each in 12 municipal corporations and two industrial towns – Pithampur and Mandideep.
Gradually, such mobile food centres will be launched in 68 civic bodies each having more than 20,000 population, officials said.