BHUBANESWAR, Odisha: Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik, has sanctioned ₹20 crore to the state-level ‘Aahaar’ committee from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. ‘Aahaar’ is an initiative of the state government for subsidized meals to the needy in urban areas. The committee manages Aahaar centres serving meals at a price of ₹5 in different parts of the state.
From 2015-16 to 2021-22, the state government approved ₹228.76 crore from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the implementation of the Aahaar programme .
The Aahaar programme was launched on April 1, 2015 on the day of the ‘Utkal Divas’ by CM Patnaik. Five municipal corporations piloted the initiative with 21 Aahaar kendras – Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur, and Rourkela.
After the successful implementation of the pilot programme, it was expanded to cover all 30 districts. Currently, as per the government official, 158 Aahaar Kendras are operational covering all the 114 civic bodies in Odisha. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Government of Odisha is the nodal department to implement Aahaar Programme in the state.