Anna Canteens to Begin in AP Villages from Sankranti

The Andhra Pradesh government is preparing to launch several new initiatives to mark the Sankranti festival. As part of these efforts, the government has taken a key decision to expand the popular Anna Canteens scheme with the objective of extending its benefits to rural areas. Steps are being taken to set up new canteens to ensure that affordable meals reach a wider section of the population.

To coincide with Sankranti, the government has decided to establish 70 new Anna Canteens in rural regions. These canteens are scheduled to be made available to the public between January 13 and 15. Construction work is currently underway and progressing at a fast pace. The new canteens will be set up at mandal and constituency headquarters to improve accessibility for rural residents. So far, Anna Canteens have largely operated in urban areas, and this expansion follows requests from MLAs to extend the facility to villages. With this move, rural communities will also be able to avail nutritious and tasty meals at just ₹5.

At present, Anna Canteens provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner at a nominal cost of ₹5. Across the state, 205 Anna Canteens are already functioning successfully. So far, more than 72 million people have benefited from this scheme. The highest footfall is observed during lunchtime. Major cities such as Vijayawada, Guntur, and Visakhapatnam witness particularly heavy crowds, as daily wage workers and people travelling to cities for employment largely depend on these canteens for affordable meals.