Gandhinagar: State labour and employment minister Balvantsinh Rajput said on Tuesday that govt will shortly open 100 new meal distribution centres under the Shramik Annapurna Yojana. At present, 290 meal distribution centres are operational in 19 districts. Under the scheme, meals are provided to labourers for a nominal amount of Rs 5.
An official statement said that since April 2024, more than 75.7 lakh meals were distributed to thousands of labour families at Rs 5 each. To extend the benefits of the Shramik Annapurna Yojana to more construction workers, the state govt plans to open 100 new meal distribution centres in the near future. The state govt provides a subsidy of Rs 37 per meal to offer food at the nominal rate of Rs 5, the statement added.
Stating that providing nutritious meals to labourers and their families at nominal rates is a priority of govt, the minister said that a large number of families migrate to cities in search of employment, and they gather at labour points to find work at construction sites.
Currently, an average of over 32,000 meals are distributed daily to labour families from various labour points across the state. Since the inception of the scheme, more than 2.93 crore meals were distributed at a cost exceeding Rs 150 crore, the statement added.
Currently, Ahmedabad district has 98 centres, Gandhinagar 12, Vadodara 21, Surat 40, Rajkot 14, Valsad 10, Mehsana 13, Navsari 9, Patan 15, Bhavnagar 6, Anand 6, Banaskantha 8, Bharuch 7, Dahod 5, Jamnagar 11, Kheda 4, Morbi 6, Panchmahal 1, and Sabarkantha has 4 operational centres.
