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Atal Canteen face screening data to be deleted after 30 days
Delhi government will auto-delete images and data from the Atal Canteen facial recognition system after 30 days to address privacy concerns. The policy follows a April 9 review meeting and an April 16 order, with officials noting that only image data will be deleted while sales data is backed up for audits. By April 2026, 74 canteens are operational, with expansion ongoing.
Why It Matters
The move highlights how welfare schemes using facial recognition balance transparency and privacy, and how data retention policies are implemented in public services.
Timeline
6 Events
April 21, 2026: Officials announce 30-day deletion policy
April 21, 2026
Officials aware of the development said on Tuesday that all images and data generated by the facial recognition system will be automatically deleted after 30 days; the server used for the system has 5TB storage and 64GB RAM, storing images for token generation with sales data backed up for audits.
April 16, 2026: Order issued to delete facial recognition data after 30 days
April 16, 2026
An order was issued on April 16 to auto-delete images and data generated by the facial recognition system after 30 days, with data related to sales to be backed up for audits.
April 9, 2026: Review meeting on privacy and locations
April 9, 2026
A meeting was held on April 9 to review the Atal Canteen programme, with discussions on privacy concerns around facial recognition and approvals for changes in locations where operational difficulties were observed in starting new canteens.
Current status: 74 canteens operational, eight under construction, 18 under award
April 2026
As per the current status report, 74 Atal Canteens are operational, eight are under construction, and 18 are under award.
Atal Canteen launched
December 25, 2025
The Atal Canteen scheme was launched on December 25, 2025 by the BJP-led Delhi government on the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Plan to operationalise 100 canteens announced
December 2025
In December 2025, the plan was announced to operationalise 100 canteens under the Atal Canteen scheme.