Aahar scheme to be extended to 29 Odisha districts

Deciding to extend the Aahar scheme to 29 districts of the state, the Odisha government on Tuesday ordered the setting up of 57 centres in the urban areas of the districts to provide cheap food to poor people by February 25.

The decision was taken after a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The chief minister, through video-conferencing, directed the district collectors to set up the Aahar centres within the set deadline.

Except Sambalpur district, the centres would be set up in other districts, said Housing and Urban Development Minister Puspendra Singhdeo.

The centres would be set up at district headquarters, hospitals and industrial towns with the help of eligible funding agencies, the minister added.

A total of 30,300 meals would be prepared every day in these centres.

The state government on April 1 opened 21 Aahar centres in five major cities -- Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Rourkela, Berhampur and Sambalpur -- to provide cheap meals, including rice and dal at Rs.5 a plate.