Bread, Mangaluru buns, ragi mudde, and payasam may soon appear on the Indira Canteen menu, according to reports from BBMP officials in Karnataka. While breakfast choices would include bread and jam, Mangaluru buns, idlis, and upma, the proposed lunch items are rice, sambar, palya, and bajji, in addition to ragi mudde and soppina saaru. Senior officials have suggested that payasam and snacks be served on alternate days. The new dishes would not incur any additional cost for canteen customers, as the BBMP and state government would cover the additional expenses.
However, Tushar Girinath, Chief Commissioner of BBMP, has denied sending any proposals to the government regarding the addition of payasam, mudde, and bread to the existing Indira Canteen menu. He clarified that the only suggestion was to serve the same quantity of dinner as lunch.
Previously, Indira Canteens and 12 mobile canteens across Karnataka served idli-vada, pongal, khara bhath for breakfast, as well as rice sambar, bisi bele bath, and bajji for lunch and dinner at a minimum cost of Rs 5 and Rs 10, respectively. Despite being a much-hyped project by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the JDS-Congress government’s collapse in 2019 caused the project to fall flat, culminating in mobile canteens’ closure. Currently, eight Indira Canteens in Bengaluru South have closed due to low footfall.
