A government-run canteen in Bengaluru witnessed a moment of panic after a worm was found in a meal served to the sanitation workers (pourakarmikas) on Monday, October 28.
The incident took place at the Indira Canteen in Ramamurthy Nagar, where one of the pourakarmika spotted a worm in his meal. This is not the first time such an incident has taken place. In 2018, a customer found a worm in his food from the outlet in Madikeri, Coorg.
This event has raised some eyebrows as the Canteen's food quality has already been in question. In March this year, food samples were collected from Indira canteens in Jayanagar, JP Nagar, Byatarayanapura, Mudalapalya and Nagapura after BJP leader Umesh Shetty claimed that food served there were not up to the quality for human consumption.
Food items unfit for consumption
Lab tests revealed that food items such as rice, sambar and bisi bele bath (lentil rice dish) were unfit for consumption. The tests were conducted by the Public Health Institute (PHI) and Ramaiah Advanced Testing Laboratory.
A low-cost food subsidisation programme run by the Karnataka government, the Indira Canteens serve breakfast, lunch and dinner at meagre rates. Initiated in August 2017 by the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, the canteens aim at providing food to the economically backward sectors at subsidised rates. There are nearly 200 canteens in 198 wards of Bengaluru.
