UP to launch Maa Annapurna Rasoi scheme in 18 districts soon
The initiative will provide nutritious meals to labourers and economically weaker sections for Rs 5 per plate across several districts.
The Uttar Pradesh state government on Thursday announced that the first phase of the ‘Maa Annapurna Rasoi’ scheme will soon be launched in 18 districts. According to the Hindustan Times, the programme will provide nutritious meals to labourers and other economically weaker sections for Rs 5 per plate.
State food and civil supplies minister Manoj Pandey said at Bapu Bhawan in Lucknow that the first phase will include districts such as Kanpur, Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi, Meerut, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur. Each centre will prepare 500 lunch and 500 dinner plates every day of the week.
Minister Pandey stated that 8,753 Annapurna Bhavans have been completed across the state to improve the public distribution system (PDS). Work is currently in progress on 2,500 buildings, and 6,000 new structures are proposed in the current fiscal year with a budget of Rs 500 crore.
The state government has also allocated Rs 1,500 crore in the 2026-27 budget under the Ujjwala Yojana. This will provide one free LPG cylinder to over 1.89 crore beneficiaries during Diwali and Holi, following a subsidy transfer launched by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday.
Additionally, the commission for fair price dealers will be raised in stages from Rs 70 per quintal to Rs 90, then to Rs 100 from April 1, 2026, and finally to Rs 125 per quintal from July 2026. Officials noted that Uttar Pradesh is the first state to provide an additional dividend to PDS shopkeepers.