MLA normally stands for Member of Legislative Assembly, but in Karnataka, it could well stand for - member of lunch association.

The government has come up with an effective but expensive way of ensuring that its legislators are present in the assembly during the post-lunch session.

It is organising free lunches for MLAs in the Vidhan Soudha, as the state legislature is called.

Government chief whip C S Nadagowda says that this new scheme was meant to ensure quorum in both houses in the afternoon sessions.

The ongoing legislature session has seen the lowest attendance with even ministers skipping afternoon sessions.

A minister estimated that the cost of the lunch would work out to about Rs 100 per plate, possibly a little less for vegetarian fare.

With the Karnataka assembly having 225 seats and the council 75, this works out to about Rs 30,000 for the honest taxpayer per day.

These lunches are being hosted in the names of different ministers.

The first to do so last Monday was Large and Medium Scale Industries Minister R V Deshpande.

Last Tuesday, R Ramalinga Reddy and H M Revanna hosted the lunch. On Wednesday, it was Sports Minister S S Mallikarjun's turn.

Chief Minister S M Krishna's turn comes on Wednesday March 26.

So, why do the legislators skip the afternoon session?

Some go home or to their rooms in the MLA's Hostel for lunch, and then end up meeting constituents and other visitors.

Krishna, however, is still anxious, worried that MLAs would partake in the free lunch and then go off on whatever errands they have.