Delhi govt’s ‘Atal Canteen’ a copy of Bengal’s ‘Maa Canteen’ programme, says Trinamool

Kolkata: After the BJP-led Delhi government announced the launch of the ‘Atal Canteen’ Scheme to provide nutritious, subsidised meals for Rs 5, Trinamool Congress (TMC) has alleged that it is a copy of Bengal’s existing Maa Canteen programme.

‘Atal Canteen’ programme is scheduled to launch in the first phase on December 25, 2025, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, after whom the scheme is named. The plan is to open 100 canteens across the capital, particularly near construction sites and slum clusters, serving meals for Rs 5 each. The menu is set to include dal, rice, roti, and vegetables.

Trinamool Congress alleged that the Delhi government copied the Bengal government’s ‘Maa Canteen’ concept. It also alleged that the BJP has stooped to a “new low” as it copied Bengal’s concept. State’s “Kanyashree”, Lakshmir Bhandar scheme was copied. The ruling party in Bengal alleged that the Delhi BJP government is copying welfare models from other parties, a trend also seen with other similar subsidized meal programs like Tamil Nadu’s ‘Amma Unavagam’ and Karnataka’s ‘Indira Canteen’.

The scheme was a key promise in the Delhi BJP’s 2025 election manifesto. Rekha Gupta, the Chief Minister of Delhi (BJP), announced and has been reviewing the project’s progress.

Trinamool Congress claimed that the Mamata Banerjee government had introduced the ‘Maa Canteen’ in Bengal a few years ago and the BJP was now copying it in their state. ‘Maa Canteen’ project was launched in February 2021 to provide food to the needy at Rs 5. The programme is a hit among the people in the state.

At each canteen, close to a hundred people are served rice, dal, curry, and egg curry. With its popularity increasing and several queuing up, the food at the Maa canteen stalls gets finished well before the closing time.