People having lunch at Samrudhi Kochi Coporation restaurant. | Photo credit: FILE PHOTO
The proposal to launch Indira Canteen as part of the United Democratic Front (UDF)-led Kochi Corporation’s 50-day action plan has sparked a political row, with the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) terming it a conspiracy to undermine Samridhi@Kochi, a budget canteen jointly run by the Corporation and Kudumbashree-free as part of the no-people initiative.
Mayor VK Minimol said the project aims to ensure that everyone visiting Kochi can have three meals a day for just ₹50, with breakfast and dinner priced at ₹10. She pointed out that Samridhi@Kochi currently only offers subsidized lunches. Initially, the proposed canteen will be opened next to Samridhi@Kochi outlets on Paramara Road in Ernakulam North and Fort Kochi before expanding to other centres.
When asked if the Indira canteen will have separate infrastructure from Samridhi@Kochi, Ms. Minimol was evasive, saying only that the canteen counter will be located next to the Samridhi outlet. Instead, she emphasized the need to make Samridhi@Kochi more transparent and auditable. She further noted that Samridhi has become a premium brand and it is not appropriate to continue to associate it with cheap food.
Currently, Janakeeya hotels charge ₹30 for lunch, while Samridhi@Kochi charges only ₹20. LDF Parliamentary Party President VA Sreejith said the mayor’s evasiveness betrayed a conspiracy to gradually replace the Samridhi brand with Indira Canteen. “It seems their intention is to put up the Indira Canteen board in the Samridhi premises. It was the previous council that gave the beautiful name Samridhi without naming it after the LDF leaders. While we wholeheartedly welcome the proposal to offer breakfast and dinner at ₹10, the move to phase out the Samridhi name is undesirable. They could have done it under the UDFhi Cultural Center itself. Ramakrishnan, but now they have no qualms in proposing to name the canteen Indira,” he said.
Mr. Sreejith further alleged that the UDF was against the use of corporate funds for Samridhi@Kochi and consistently stayed away from its anniversaries and other related events.
Samridhi@Kochi, which celebrated its fourth anniversary last year, has grown significantly since its inception. Its staff has grown from just 14 to 206. Samridhi has been selected by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to serve food on four trains and has also been integrated into the IRCTC portal, allowing passengers to place online orders for delivery at the Ernakulam Town railway station. Besides, it runs two canteens – one at the Cochin Shipyard and the other at the Greater Cochin Development Authority.
Published – 13 Jan 2026 22:30 IST
