Maharashtra starts serving Rs 10 meals to needy

MUMBAI:  The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s ambitious scheme to serve healthy meals at just Rs 10 has finally kick-started, but with several conditions. The pilot project will serve only 18,000 meals for the state’s population of over 12 crore.

The government resolution (GR) for the Rs 10 meal — named “Shivabhojan” — issued about a month after the scheme was cleared by the state cabinet said that each of the 36 district headquarters will have at least one centre for serving such meals and each meal will have 2 chapatis (Indian breads) and one serving each of dal, rice and sabji and the government will spend Rs 6.48 crore over the next three months for serving 18,000 meals every day, the GR said.

The specified meal is expected to cost Rs 35 in rural areas and Rs 50 in cities. Of this, Rs 10 will come from the customers and the government will bear the rest. The meal centres will be opened at restaurants, mess or an NGO/SHG office at places like government hospitals or offices, bus stands, railway station where there are needy people in large numbers.