Post News Network
Cuttack, April 11: The Aahar scheme launched by the state government April 1 has evoked a mixed response in the Silver City.
Several people have applauded the cheap-meal scheme, saying that it helps them have food at a low cost and thus use the much-needed money for other purposes. However, others have cast a doubt on the longevity of the scheme that has been termed a populist measure by the Opposition parties.
Subash Behera, a rickshaw puller, said the scheme is immensely helpful for people like him. “I save almost Rs 15 everyday by having the Rs 5 meal at the Aahar stall near SCB Medical College and Hospital,” he said. A system should be evolved to ensure that only the needy have access to the meals.
Behera’s views were echoed by Santosh Kumar, a daily labourer, who is a regular at the Aahar outlet at SCB. “There are a lot of people who can afford meals at good hotels but have meals at the Aahar outlets. This leads to the poor being deprived of the meals,” the labourer said.
Every Aahar outlet serves 1,000 meals every day that are prepared by the Akshaya Patra Foundation. People such as Behera and Kumar have raised the fear that there will be a shortage if those who are well off have the cheap meals.
Another area of concern is the wastage of food. “As the menu remains unchanged, people take more than they can eat and ultimately the excess food goes to the dustbin,” said Sadashiv Mohanty, a retired SCB Medical College and Hospital doctor and a resident of CDA.
Mohanty feels that wastage of food should be checked as only then can the scheme achieve its objective in the long run.
A Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) official, on condition of anonymity, admitted that there are several loopholes in the implementation of the scheme. “These are teething problems. We are learning from the loopholes and will set them right,” he said.