Hyderabad: Annapurna Meals Scheme completes six years

• The scheme has reached a milestone of 4 crore meals, thanks to CM's encouragement and GHMC's efforts, says a happy Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar who as the then Commissioner launched the scheme at Nampally on March 1, 2014

• Under the scheme, quality food is provided for `5. The scheme which started with eight centres six years ago now has 150 centres serving food to about 30,000 to 35,000 people in the city

• Mayor Bonthu Rammohan thanked Hare Krishna Foundation for providing quality food for the scheme. He said that the scheme was extended to Cantonment area on the instructions of the CM

Ameerpet: Annapurna Meals Scheme was initiated by the then GHMC Commissioner and present Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar at Nampally Railway station on March 1, 2014 with a noble objective of satiating the hunger of poor in the city. Under the scheme, quality food is provided for Rs 5. The scheme which started with eight centres six years ago now has 150 centres serving food to about 30,000 to 35,000 people in the city.

Commemorating the completion of six years of Annapurna scheme, a programme was organised at Ameerpet on Monday. Talasani Srinivas Yadav, the Minister for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Dairy and Cinematography, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, GHMC Mayor Bonthu Rammohan, GHMC Commissioner DS Lokesh Kumar, Principal Secretary (municipal administration) Arvind Kumar, Additional Commissioner B Santhosh, Khairatabad Zonal Commissioner Pravinya and others participated in the programme.

Speaking on the occasion, Talasani Srinivas Yadav said the scheme had become a role model for other states. The Annapurna centre at Ameerpet has been offering food to about 1,200 people, mostly students who come to city to prepare for competitive exams, and workers, he said. He congratulated Somesh Kumar for designing the scheme and the Hare Krishna Foundation for providing quality food to people.

In its efforts to transform the city into a world-class city, the state government has been developing model markets, footpaths, streetlights, white tapping roads, Vaikuntadhamams and other basic amenities, under the guidance of the state municipal minister KT Rama Rao, the minister said.

Explaining the objectives of the scheme, Somesh Kumar said that the scheme was started to ensure that no one in the city faced hunger. Based on the instructions of the CM KCR, the number of Annapurna centres were increased from 55 to 150, he said. The scheme has reached a milestone of 4 crore meals, thanks to CM's encouragement and GHMCs efforts, the Chief Secretary said. He said that it had come to his notice that even a beggar who earns Rs 10 a day can not only satiate his hunger but also help another person have meals. Annapurna scheme has demonstrated that humanity has no limits, he said. Narrating circumstances that led to the designing of the scheme, he said that he found interest in 'Annadana' programmes when he was Ananthapur District Collector in the year 2000, while being in close touch with Puttaparti Saibaba. Later, he got the idea to design Annapurna scheme when Hare Krishna foundation invited him to program to serve free food to patients' helper

BonthuRammohan thanked Hare Krishna Foundation for providing quality food for the scheme. He said that the scheme was extended to Cantonment area on the instructions of the CM. The mayor said that Annapurna mobile canteens scheme was being introduced to provide food to senior citizens and disabled people.

Later, the Chief Secretary launched mobile Annapurna scheme on the occasion.