‘Maachh-bhaat’ to be served twice a week at Maa canteens at Rs 5 in West Bengal

KOLKATA: CM Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday announced that heavily subsidised Maa canteens across urban areas in the state will soon serve a fish-rice lunch twice a week at Rs 5.

"We have decided that all 367 Maa canteens across the state will serve fish twice a week. The meal will be available for just Rs 5," Adhikari said after chairing an administrative review meeting at Kalyani. He also added that the number of Maa canteens would remain unchanged for the time being.

According to sources in the administration, the new menu is expected to be introduced shortly, with the specific days for serving fish likely to be finalised next week. On the remaining days, the canteens will continue to provide egg-rice meals at the same subsidised price of Rs 5.

Currently, Maa canteens serve lunch consisting of rice, dal, vegetables and boiled eggs.

The announcement assumes political significance in the backdrop of the recent change in govt in the state. During the Assembly election campaign, Trinamool had repeatedly alleged that fish consumption and Bengal's non-veg food culture would be severely affected if BJP came to power. However, the new BJP-led govt has unveiled a scheme aimed at providing fish-rice meals at an affordable cost.

The decision to introduce fish-rice meals at Maa canteens is also being seen as a significant outreach initiative of the govt targeted towards lower-income groups and daily wage earners in the urban areas across the state.

The previous Trinamool govt launched this scheme in Feb 2021 to provide cooked meals to the poor and needy citizens to be served by urban local bodies in common kitchens, with the contribution of Rs 5 by the beneficiaries. The programme was initially implemented at all seven municipal corporations and the district headquarters. Now, all urban local bodies in the state, including the New Kolkata Development Authority, have been covered under the domain of this programme.