Hyderabad: GHMC to roll out Rs 5 breakfast scheme to strengthen food security for poor, daily wagers

Hyderabad: Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will roll out a city-wide Rs 5 breakfast scheme next month in a bid to strengthen food security for urban poor and daily wage workers.

The initiative is modeled on the existing Rs 5 Annapurna Meals programme, which has gained popularity for providing affordable lunches.

Breakfast at all existing centres

The breakfast scheme will initially be introduced at all 128 existing Annapurna meal centres. The menu will include daily rotating South Indian items such as idlis, upma, pongal, or puris, with no repetitions on consecutive days.

Each breakfast plate will cost Rs 19, of which Rs 14 will be subsidised by the GHMC. The remaining Rs 5 will be borne by the consumer. Officials said that additional items like dosa and uthappam will be added to the menu shortly to enhance variety and nutrition.

Rebranding and Infrastructure upgrade

In a parallel move, the state government has proposed to rebrand the Annapurna meal centres as 'Indira Canteens', an idea inspired by a similar initiative in Karnataka.

The GHMC standing committee has approved the proposal, and the rebranding will be implemented along with infrastructural upgrades. Currently, 128 Annapurna meal centres function within GHMC limits, of which 11 have permanent seating facilities. Renovation work will be taken up at these 11 centres with 40x10 ft structures, while the remaining 99 centres will be upgraded with 20x10 ft shelters to improve service delivery and user comfort.

Public-Private Collaboration

The project is being implemented in collaboration with the Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation, which has been a key partner in running the Annapurna scheme. GHMC officials believe the addition of breakfast service will help further address hunger among low-income groups in the city.

This move is part of the government’s broader urban welfare initiative to ensure affordable, hygienic, and nutritious meals are accessible to all sections of society, according to the GHMC officials.