Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today launched Aahar, a subsidised meal scheme meant for the urban poor in the state
Under the scheme, rice and dal curry would be served as lunch to the poor at a meagre rate of Rs 5 per meal. Patnaik today launched the subsidised scheme at the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela Government Hospital later in the day.
Apart from Capital hospital, the state government has opened centres near city bus stand campus, Mancheswar and Museum Square in the city. "This new Aahar Yojana is an excellent scheme by our state government to help poor people in the city. It is an excellent pro poor initiative," said Patnaik after launching the scheme in Bhubaneswar. The Aahar scheme was also simultaneously launched in Cuttack, Sambalpur and Berhampur- cities where the scheme will be implemented in the first phase.
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While the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) lauded the merits of the scheme, the Opposition parties questioned the timing of its launch, alleging it was done to woo voters ahead of the impending urban polls.
"The scheme was launched in Sambalpur and Rourkela because of the impending corporation elections," said senior BJP leader Suresh Pujari
The subsidised meals for people visiting urban cities would be provided between 11 am and 3 pm to about 1,000 people in a day at each centre. The scheme is sponsored by state PSUs after central PSUs like National Aluminium Company (Nalco), Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) and Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) rejected the government's proposal to support the scheme. The Aahar scheme had generated heat in the state assembly recently after the central PSUs backed out of the programme.
While mining PSU Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) would sponsor the Aahar programme in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) is funding it in Rourkela.
The state run Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) would meet the programme's expenses in Sambalpur. Tata Steel has agreed to fund the scheme in Berhampur.
