LUCKNOW, Nov. 6 -- The state government on Thursday announced that the first phase of 'Maa Annapurna Rasoi' scheme will soon be launched in 18 districts of Uttar Pradesh under which nutritious meal will be provided for just Rs.5 per plate to labourers and other economically weaker sections. "In the first phase, the initiative will cover 18 districts, including Kanpur, Lucknow, Agra, Varanasi, Meerut, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur. Each centre will prepare 500 lunch and as many dinner plates all seven days a week, ensuring consistent access to affordable food," said state food and civil supplies minister Manoj Pandey while speaking to the media at Bapu Bhawan in Lucknow. The programme is part of broader measures implemented to strengthen food security and support vulnerable citizens as well as fair price shop dealers. "To improve the public distribution system, 8,753 Annapurna Bhavans have already been completed across the state. Work is in progress on another 2,500 buildings, while 6,000 new structures are proposed in the current fiscal with a budgetary outlay of Rs.500 crore. For greater convenience of ration cardholders, benches, drinking-water facilities and glow-in-the-dark signboards are being installed at 10,000 fair price shops," the minister added. The state government has also allocated Rs.1,500 crore in the 2026-27 budget under the Ujjwala Yojana to provide one free LPG cylinder each to over 1.89 crore beneficiaries during Diwali and Holi. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath formally launched the subsidy transfer on Tuesday (November 3). The government has also enhanced support for fair price dealers. Their commission has been raised in stages from the earlier Rs.70 per quintal to Rs.90, then to Rs.100 from April 1, 2026, and further to Rs.125 per quintal effective July 2026. Officials noted that Uttar Pradesh has become the first state in the country to provide an additional dividend to public distribution system (PDS) shopkeepers....