With the pandemic setting in, bringing alongside it a subsequent and inevitable lockdown, workers and farmers all over the nation found themselves in quite a fix. With no place to stay, much less to figure a place to find meals, those from the poorer spectrum of the economic strata had a hard time going on for them.

To offer relief to these people, the Haryana Government launched the Atal Kisan Mazdoor canteen yojana 2020, which has been running in five mandis since February 2020, and now the scheme has turned operational in over 6 districts across Haryana.

What is the Atal Kisan Mazdoor canteen scheme about?

According to the scheme, the state government of Haryana will offer food to farmers and labourers at a meagre price of Rs. 10. As the scheme is already functional in over 6 districts in the state, the state government, bearing in mind its success, intends to expand the implementation of the scheme across 25 locations all over the state – offering nutritious and hygienic food for the underprivileged at minimal prices.

What are the features of the Atal Kisan Mazdoor Yojana 2020?

Here are some of the salient features of the scheme:

  1. The state government provides food for the farmers and labourers at a price of ₹10.
  2. The food will be offered to labourers and farmers only after the nutritional value and cleanliness of the food is taken into due consideration.
  3. The workers from the unorganized sector are to benefit from the scheme largely
  4. CCTVs have been installed in each canteen to keep a check on the due implementation of the scheme
  5. According to the agricultural officials, goods worth around ₹6 lakhs are being made available in the implementation of the Atal Kisan Mazdoor canteen service
  6. Food includes items like Tawa roti, rice, dal fry, seasonal vegetables, and portable drinking water.
  7. The canteens have been provided with gas burners, chimneys, deep freezers and water coolers to offer top-class service to farmers and labourers without a hiccup whatsoever.

At the price of ₹10, farmers and labourers will receive 4 rotis, dal, rice and vegetables. The food in these canteens would be prepared by the women of Self-help groups. Women who cook for the sound implementation of this scheme will also be given an e-rickshaw service by the government to travel from home and back.

The price of procuring all the essential items and the logistics actually add up to ₹25. Out of this, only ₹10 will be borne by the farmer or labourer and the rest ₹15 will be borne by the state government.

Where are these canteens set up at the moment?

The six districts where the canteens are operational at the moment are:

  1. Sirsa
  2. Tohana (Fatehabad) 
  3. Rewari
  4. Gharaunda (Karnal)
  5. Rohtak
  6. Thanesar (Kurukshetra)

In conclusion

Offering food to the farmers and labourers ensures that they can carry out their tasks with a well-fed belly and that they would not have to go to bed yet another day without a morsel for themselves. Times are tough and though it may not be economically sound for them, the Haryana Government seems to be doing a great job with this scheme.