Delhi govt mulls 12-hour Atal Canteen at AIIMS; tender floated

The Delhi government is set to open an Atal Canteen at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here. With increased operating hours, from 10 am to 10 pm, and service extending beyond the existing fixed lunch and dinner slots, the canteen is aimed at catering to patients’ attendants and visitors who spend long hours at the hospital.

A tender has been floated by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) for the construction of the Atal Canteen at AIIMS at an estimated cost of Rs 29.74 lakh, according to an official.

He said the project has been given a 45-day timeframe for completion.

Unlike the current Atal Canteen model, where meals are served in two fixed slots — lunch from 11.30 am to 2 pm and dinner from 6.30 pm to 9 pm — the proposed hospital-linked canteen will remain operational for 12 hours continuously, he said.

The official said the move is aimed at meeting the needs of patients’ families and attendants who often stay at hospitals for extended periods and require access to affordable meals throughout the day.

The government had allocated Rs 104 crore for implementing the Atal Canteen scheme across the city. Around 40 additional canteens are planned near government hospitals as part of the expansion.

The Atal Canteen initiative was launched on December 25 last year by the BJP-led Delhi government on the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Under the scheme, nutritious meals comprising chapati, rice, vegetable curry and pickle are provided at Rs 5 per plate to address food insecurity among economically weaker sections.

Each canteen currently serves up to 500 plates for lunch and 500 for dinner daily, with visitors required to collect QR-based tokens before receiving meals.