On February 15, 2021, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee started a ‘Ma Canteen’ in the state to provide a meal at a nominal cost of Rs 5. The meal consists of rice, dal, a vegetable and egg curry.
The concept of a community kitchen in India is not new, but the credit for bringing it to the fore goes to the late chief minister J. Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu.
Currently, the Ma Canteen is operational in about 100 locations in West Bengal. About 300 to 400 people avail themselves of this service at each stall every day.