Mamata Banerjee launches 'Maa' program on Monday

Mamta announced this scheme in the budget and managed to launch it within eight days

Ahead of the provincial elections, West Bengal Prime Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a 'Maa' program in which his government would provide food at a cost of ? 5 especially to the poor. They will get a bowl of rice, dal, vegetables, and egg curry for Rs 5/-. "The government will get a subsidy of ? 15 (per plate) and people will get it at ? 5," Banerjee said.  Self-help groups will use the kitchens from 1 pm to 3 pm daily and those kitchens will be built all over the province little by little, the prime minister said. "I'll go and taste it one day," Banerjee said. People will get food by coming first.

"This is a unique concept. We announced the plan in the budget and were able to launch it within eight days," she said, thanking officials from various departments for doing so in a timely manner. The government has allocated ? 1,00-crore for the project, said Banerjee, who is also a Trinamool Congress official. "It started with a trial and there may be some initial difficulties," Banerjee said.

On the first day, Maa kitchens started operating in a few places in Kolkata and in districts such as Malda, Dakshin Dinajpur, Paschim Medinipur, and Howrah. 

The Trinamool Congress resolution in September last year introduced a similar program called - 'Didir Rannaghar' to the government to provide food for ? 5 to immigrant workers who lost their jobs during the strike.