India, Oct. 6 -- Two chapatis, one bowl of vegetable curry, one bowl of dal, and one serving of rice for just Rs.10. For thousands across Maharashtra, this is pure sustenance - a simple and affordable meal served under the Shiv Bhojan Yojna, a subsidised scheme introduced by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government more than six years ago.

But the scheme is leaving a bad taste, pitting operators against the state govenrment. On one hand, those running the meal centres, many of them workers of political parties, say rising operating costs are making the scheme's implementation financially unviable. But the government says what's rising are complaints against the meal centres, which are allegedly overcharging beneficiaries and inflating the ...