Rekha Gupta lays foundation stone for 1st Atal canteen in Delhi's Timarpur

The Delhi Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, on Friday laid the foundation stone of the first "Atal" canteen in the Timarpur area here, marking the fulfilment of a key promise made by the BJP.

The Delhi government has planned to open 100 such canteens, named after the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, with an aim to provide affordable meals to underprivileged people, with two meals a day for just Rs 5 per person, officials said.

The initiative is an example of the BJP government's respect for the working-class families, Gupta said.

Opening Atal canteens across the national capital was one of the poll promises of the BJP in the Delhi Assembly polls held in February this year.

The chief minister was accompanied by the Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood during the laying of the foundation stone ceremony at JJ Cluster in Sanjay Basti.

Gupta, later in a post on X, said, "In just eight months, a strong step has been taken to fulfil another promise made with Delhi. An extensive network of 100 Atal canteens will be set up in the capital so that this facility easily and timely reaches every needy person."  The inauguration of the first Atal canteen will take place on December 25, the birth anniversary of former prime minister Vajpayee, they said.