Over 33,000 people have eaten meals at Atal Canteens in the last two days, according to sources in Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

A total of 15,805 meals were served, including lunch and dinner, on Friday while over 17,000 meals were served on Thursday.

The Delhi government inaugurated 45 Atal Canteens, meant to provide meals twice daily at a subsidised price of ₹5, on Thursday. Each canteen is expected to provide around 1,000 meals daily. Once all 100 canteens planned become operational, over one lakh people are expected to receive meals every day across the city.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had said that work on 55 more such canteens will be completed in the next 15 to 20 days. The Delhi government has allocated ₹104.24 crore for the operation and management of the scheme. While beneficiaries will pay ₹5 per meal, the remaining ₹25 cost per plate will be borne by the government. Around 700 people are expected to gain employment under the project.