Hyderabad, April 1 --  More than a decade ago, the then Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government launched the Annapurna canteens, an initiative to feed Hyderabad's urban poor for just Rs 5 a meal. The scheme grew steadily under the now ruling Congress government, which renamed it Indiramma canteens, with breakfast being added at the same price, makeshift kiosks making way to container-style setups and the network expanding to 150 locations across the city. The Rs 5 price tag never changed. Unfortunately, neither did many of the problems.

A new report by People's Pulse Research Organisation, based on a survey of all 150 Indiramma canteens conducted between February 23 and March 30, 2026, paints a sobering picture. 

Across 4,000 ...