CM Bhagwant Mann govt to open 100 canteens run by rural women at bus stands, DC offices

Chandigarh.Village women in Punjab will soon run canteens at Punjab Roadways bus stands, tehsil complexes and the offices of deputy commissioners and municipal corporations, selling cheap, home-style meals to the people who visit these offices every day.

The state government will set up 100 such canteens, each run by a women’s self-help group (SHG), Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said on Thursday while launching the project. The women will not pay rent, and electricity and water will be free.

The move fulfils a promise Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann made at the state’s Women’s Day celebrations.

“By expanding this initiative across 100 locations, we are creating a sustainable livelihood ecosystem for rural women across Punjab. It will secure dignified and regular livelihoods for thousands of women while ensuring that lakhs of everyday citizens have access to affordable and nutritious food,” Cheema said.

The canteens will come up at bus stands, tehsils, DC and MC offices, department headquarters and other major public offices across the state. The government is setting them up with the Punjab State Rural Livelihoods Mission (PSRLM).

“To ensure the success of these canteens, the Punjab Government is providing rent-free space, free electricity and water facilities in government offices,” the minister said. The groups will also get kitchen equipment and utensils.

The meals will be hygienic and nutritious, the government said.

Before they start, the women will be trained. PSRLM has tied up with district hotel management colleges for 7 to 10 days of training in cooking and running a canteen.

The model has already been tested. A pilot canteen at Vit-Te-Yojana Bhawan in Sector 33, Chandigarh, is run by women from SHGs in Mohali. It serves fresh breakfast and lunch from a 26-item menu.

“We have already witnessed the success of this model,” Cheema said.

Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Alok Shekhar, Secretary (Rural Development) Arshdeep Thind, ACEO (Rural Development) Rupali Tandon, Director (Treasury and Accounts) Aravind Kumar MK, JDC (Rural Development) Shena Aggarwal and Punjab Development Commission member Vaibhav Maheshwari were present.