On the pattern of Amma Canteen in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is all set to open Annapurna Bhojnalaya all across the state to make available highly-subsidised food to the poor. The aim is to ensure that not a single poor is hungry under the 'Yogi Raj'.

After waiving small and marginal farmers' loans up to Rs 1 lakh, Adityanath has taken yet another populist measure to make inroads into larger population, particularly poor among OBCs/MBCs and dalits. The move is expected to help BJP reap dividends in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Adityanath has publicly declared that he has little time and has to cover a lot of ground due to mismanagement of previous regime on the development and public welfare front. "I have to finish five years' job in less than two years, before the 2019 polls, so that people continue their faith in the agenda and policies of the BJP," he had stated recently.

Under the scheme, a full day's meal could cost as little as Rs 13 a day. Breakfast at Rs 3 and lunch and dinner at Rs 5 each. The scheme will be run on PPP (public-private partnership) basis. Envisaged by the state's Labour department, it would be implemented by the Urban development department.

Initially, the pilot project would be launched in CM's hometown of Gorakhpur, Ghaziabad, Lucknow and Kanpur.

The breakfast menu ranges from salted porridge, sprouted gram and tea, two kachauris and tea, two samosas with chatani and tea, two idli-sambhar and tea, band-butter and tea, two bread-pakoras and tea or a palate-full poha and tea.

Lunch and dinner menu is more sumptuous. It includes six rotis, seasonal gravy vegetables, arhar daal, plain rice and veg biryani with salad and pickle.

The Labour department has worked out the actual cost at Rs 15 for breakfast and Rs 18 each for lunch and dinner. The total actual cost of an entire day's meals has been worked out at Rs 51. "Since we will be taking the ration through the PDS, it would actually come down to Rs 48 a day," stated a Labour department officer on condition of anonymity.

While the customers will be paying only Rs 13, remaining Rs 35 will be come from the Yogi government as a subsidy. For the success of the scheme, it will be linked with the Aadhaar card and a recharge coupon or smart card will be issued to customers at these Annapurna canteens. Coupon would be valid for one week and both the cards can be recharged at any counter of the same city.

"This a unique experiment by the BJP government to ensure that not a single poor sleeps without food under Yogi regime," said Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, who is also Mayor of Lucknow. Dr Sharma claimed that he will personally supervise these canteens in Lucknow and ensure that they are a great success.