Berhampur: For the first time, free canteens have been opened for farmers near paddy procurement centers in Odisha to provide lunch to those who bring their produce from distant villages.
According to reports, free canteens have been set up in Gajapati district. At least four such canteens have been opened at Paralakhemundi, Kashinagar, Upalada and Garabandh, .
Vegetable meals prepared by the women self help groups (WSHGs) of the areas are being served to the farmers at the free canteens being run by the Paralakhemundi regulated market committee (RMC), according to Gajapati district collector Lingraj Panda.
The canteen system has been launched to provide free lunch to farmers who visit the procurement centers with their produce and cannot return home for their meal, Panda was quoted by PTI as saying.
Besides food, the farmers are also being provided with free soft drinks and pure water at the procurement centers by the RMC.
The objective of the programme is that farmers should not face problems when they visit the mandis. Plans are afoot to open at least 10 to 15 such canteens in the district in the coming days.
Around 10 to 20 farmers are being served free meals in each canteen every day and the RMC is bearing the expenditure to run them.
Four women SHGs have been given the responsibility of arranging food at present and talks are on with others for preparing meals in some other areas. RMC secretary L Raghu Babu said the SHGs are given Rs 60 per meal.
There are 66 mandis in Gajapati district to procure paddy from 14,320 farmers who have registered willingly to supply their products. As many as 21 WSHGs have also been engaged in the paddy procurement activity.
