BENGALURU: Come August, and Bengalureans may get to eat bread-jam for breakfast, along with Mangaluru buns –the typical breakfast dish in coastal Karnataka – along with the regular fare like idli and upma at Indira Canteens. Lunch and dinner options are also expected to see a change, with mudde-bassaaru and chapathi to be added to the menu.

Currently, there are around 200 Indira Canteens, including mobile units, functioning in BBMP limits, after the project was launched in 2017. While breakfast is served for Rs 5 , lunch and dinner can be bought for Rs 10. According to BBMP authorities, around 21 lakh people eat at these canteens per day. However, of late, quality issues have been raised with regard to the quality of food served at Indira Canteens, and BBMP is now planning to change the contractor.

A senior official from BBMP told CE that a new tender will be called, and the move is likely to be implemented from the second week of August this year. The tender will have new items for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The new menu will feature bread and jam, and Mangaluru buns, besides other items. On the other hand, lunch and dinner will comprise an additional menu listing ragi mudde along with bassaaru, chapathi and curry. Also in pipeline is inclusion of jowar roti, the staple food of North Karnataka. The cost of these new additions is yet to be decided, the official said, adding that while it cannot be as cheap as Rs 5 and Rs 10, the cost will not be more than Rs 15-18. 

This apart, they also planning to include coffee and tea in the morning. “At present, pourakarmikas who come to work in the morning have free breakfast at Indira Canteens. There was also a demand from them to include coffee and tea as well. Many other people were also asking for coffee and tea. BBMP will include this at a cost of Rs 2,” the official revealed. Indira Canteens currently serve idli-sambar, upma, rice bhath and poha for breakfast, while lunch and dinner options consist of anna-sambar and rice bhaths.