The Anna canteens in Andhra Pradesh, which serve meals for Rs 5 to poor and middle-class people, have been closed by the state government because its contract with the Akshaya Patra Foundation was not renewed. The agreement with the food supplier expired on July 31, 2019.

A TDP-era scheme

The canteens were launched last year by the government of N Chandrababu Naidu, which opened around 300 of them and named them after Telugu Desam Party founder and former Chief Minister Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR).

After taking office, the YSRCP government decided in principle to rename them Rajanna canteens, after the late former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, father of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. That plan is now on hold because of the expired contract. The new government has scrapped or renamed many TDP-era schemes, and every scheme it has announced in its first two months has been named after Rajasekhara Reddy.

Government and Opposition

Municipal Affairs Minister Botsa Satyanarayana said the closure was only temporary and that the contract with the agency would be renewed soon. He added that canteens drawing a poor response would be shut, while the rest would soon reopen as usual.

TDP leaders criticised the closure, saying it would hurt the poor. The canteens had become a source of cheap food for low-income people in the state, including labourers and beggars. It remains unclear how long it will take for them to reopen with a new name and colour scheme.

Background

The YSR Congress Party came to power in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh assembly election, winning 151 seats against 23 for the TDP and one for the Janasena Party. Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy became Chief Minister after that election.

See also: Telugu Desam Party and YSR Congress Party.

Originally published on 2 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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