Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday laid the foundation stone for an ‘Atal Canteen’ in Sanjay Basti, Timarpur, ahead of the simultaneous launch of 100 such facilities on December 25 for offering highly-subsidised food to citizens, an official said.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister reiterated that it is the Delhi Government’s firm resolve that no citizen should go to bed hungry. She said in line with this objective, 100 Atal Canteens will be launched across Delhi on December 25, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
"These canteens will provide freshly prepared, nutritious meals to the needy for just Rs 5," she said. Each Atal Canteen will include a clean serving area, safe drinking water, stainless steel tables and chairs, a digital token system, real-time CCTV monitoring, secure waste management and a fully hygienic environment, said an official statement.
Fresh and nutritious meals will be served daily during both lunch and dinner. Food quality will be inspected by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and compliance with staff health certification and all safety and hygiene norms will be mandatory, said the statement.
The event organised in Timarpur on Friday was attended by Member of Parliament Manoj Tiwari, Delhi Government’s Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood, local MLA Surya Prakash Khatri, along with a large number of residents and dignitaries. The Chief Minister said that her government is dedicated to serving the people in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Garib Kalyan’.
She affirmed that the government’s public representatives and workers are committed not to enjoying the privileges of power but to serving the people with sincerity and dedication.Referring to the decades-long neglect of the national Capital’s slum clusters, the Chief Minister noted that previous governments had failed to address their basic needs.
In contrast, the present government has, for the first time, made a special provision of Rs 700 crore for the development of slum areas. She said that roads, drains, toilets, parks, community health centres and shared community facilities in these settlements are being rapidly upgraded.
The Chief Minister made it clear that the government is not here to demolish slums but is committed to ensuring dignity and access to essential amenities for every family living in these areas. She added that, in line with the Central Government’s vision, the Delhi Government is working to provide every poor family with a permanent brick and mortar house, toilet, kitchen, bathroom and gas connection.
Speaking on the occasion, Sood said that the foundation stone of the Atal Canteen is dedicated to the principle of 'Antyodaya' i.e. uplift of the last person in society propounded by Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. He stated that the objective is to ensure that the benefits of development reach the most deprived sections.