Rahul Gandhi launches 'Indira Canteen' in Bengaluru

Agencies
August 16, 2017

Bengaluru, Aug 16: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today launched the Karnataka government's subsidised food canteens 'Indira Canteen' here that would provide breakfast at Rs five and lunch and dinner at a cost of Rs 10.

Apparently taking the cue from the popular 'Amma canteens' in Tamil Nadu, introduced by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, the Siddaramaiah government had announced setting up of the canteens in the state budget for 2017-2018.

Initially referred to as 'Namma Canteen', the name was later changed to'Indira Canteen' as Congress legislators sought to give apolitical touch to the populist announcement ahead ofthe Assembly polls early next year by naming it after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

An amount of Rs 100 crore was provided in the budget to set upthe canteens in 198 wards of Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike(BBMP).

Congratulating the state government for the canteen programme, Gandhi said it is designed to make sure that not a single person in Bengaluru goes hungry.

Calling the world an "unfair place", the Congress vice president, who also had a lunch at the canteen, said it is targeted at the working class like construction workers and auto rickshaw drivers.

"There are many people in this city who live in huge houses and have plenty of food, who drive in big cars and for them food is not a big issue..but there are millions of people in Bengaluru like construction workers, those who own small shops, autorickshaw or taxi drivers, barbers and peoplewho don't get that much money, and it is those people at whomthis Indira Canteen is targeted," he said.

"We want the people from poorest and weakest sections inBengaluru to feel that they will no have to stay hungry in this city. There cannot be a single minute where a poor person inBengaluru is hungry. We want every single person to know andunderstand that," he added.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Congress GeneralSecretary in-charge of the state K C Venugopal, the party's state unit chief G Parameshwara and Bengaluru in-charge Minister K J George, among others were present at the event.

Taking pride over the Congress government conceptualising such a canteen, Gandhi said the intention was that the quality of food and cleanliness in it be the same as the most expensive restaurants in Bengaluru.

"I would like the government to pay special attention to this fact that the canteen should have excellent quality food, excellent hygiene and people walking out of this canteenmust feel that they not only had safe food, but tasty food.I think we owe this to every single citizen," he said.

He said that the chief minister had informed him about extending the programme to other cities of the state.

In the first phase, 101 canteens were launched today and the remaining 97 will start functioning from October 2, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officials said.

Though it was initially proposed to have 198 canteens launched by the Independence Day, the number was later brought down to 125 owing to constrains related in getting land for construction of canteens in all the wards.

A total of 27 kitchens will be set up across the city to cater to these canteens, of which 14 are ready and six are currently in working condition.

According to officials, the canteens as of now will serve 500 plates of food, keeping in mind the budgetary allocation, and this is likely to be increased in the future.

Claiming that BBMP had ensured that project take shape to this level within 60 days after getting the order on June 12, officials said construction of canteens is being undertaken by KEF Infra Ltd, while Rewards, and Cheftalk Food and Hospitality Services have given the catering contract for the canteens.

Comments

Mohammed
 - 
Thursday, 17 Aug 2017

Superb project...Rapid Constrution work...Hope govt. maintains well..

Hari
 - 
Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017

Great.. quality food for cheaper price..

Kumar
 - 
Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017

Who will give funds for that.. Our Modiji.. Modiji ki Jai

Sangeeth
 - 
Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017

Cong people will loot much more in that..

Ganesh
 - 
Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017

Another way to loot money. 

Rajeev
 - 
Wednesday, 16 Aug 2017

Great... should have one here in Mangaluru

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News Network
February 19,2020

Malappuram (Kerala), Feb 19:  children of a couple in a span of nine years has raised suspicion among police personnel here who have registered a case following a complaint after a three-month-old child of the family died on Tuesday and was buried.

Police exhumed the body, which was buried in the morning, and took it to the district hospital at Tirur for post-mortem.

The infant was the sixth child of the couple, police said.

"A case has been registered (for unnatural death) in the matter to verify the death beyond any suspicion raised by locals since five other children of the couple had died in the past nine years," a senior police official said.

The couple had three boys and three girls of which the third girl child lived till the age of four and the rest died before turning one.

"The post-mortem will take place today itself.We are collecting the medical records of the children who had passed away earlier.

We will identify the cause of death after analysing the records and discuss the matter with forensic doctors," Tirur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) said.

However, relatives claimed that there was nothing suspicious in the death of the children and that doctors have said it was due to some genetic disease.

"The post-mortem of the third child was conducted and the doctors said the death was due to some genetic problems. They said they were helpless," a relative said, adding that the family was ready to face any probe.

According to the locals, the couple had claimed that the children have died due to epilepsy.

Sources said the baby was taken to a hospital but was dead prior to reaching the hospital early this morning.

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News Network
March 26,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 26: Karnataka government has warned strict penal action against landlords or house-owners under provisions of law for forcing doctors, paramedical staff and healthcare professionals to vacate their rented residences citing COVID-19 spread through them as the reason.

Stating that lot of complaints have been received in this regard, an order issued by Additional Chief Secretary Health and Family Welfare department Jawaid Akhtar said such behaviour amounted to obstructing public servant in discharging their duties./

Noting that the state government has issued Karnataka Epidemic Diseases (COVID-19) regulations 2020 for prevention and containment of the virus, it directed Deputy Commissioners of the district, Commissioner and Joint Commissioner of BBMP (civic body in Bengaluru), Commissioners of Municipal Corporations and District Deputy Commissioner of Police to take action against such incidents.

"Strict penal action should be taken against such landlords or house-owners under relevant provisions of law and submit an action taken report on a daily basis to the office of Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department," the order read.

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News Network
July 5,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 5: A 50-year-old woman with breathing difficulties died on Saturday after a shortage of beds forced 12 hospitals to refuse admission.

Her husband Babu said the family had approached 12 hospitals in three days, including Victoria Hospital and other private facilities, who all slammed their doors on them, citing a shortage of beds. The woman died on Saturday, a few minutes into her admission at KC General Hospital.

Second death 

A 35-year-old man, Manjunath, also died on Saturday after enduring fever for three days and being refused admission at several hospitals due to a shortage of beds.

As his condition worsened, his wife admitted him to a private hospital on Saturday after hours of ordeal. But the man died less than 15 minutes after getting admitted. Hospital authorities took swab samples from the deceased and said the body would be handed over after the test results.

BBMP personnel also failed to shift the body of a Covid-19 patient in Kalasipalya almost a day after the death.

Despite civic workers disinfecting the place, the neighbours were in a state of panic after the body was kept at home.

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