Indira Rasoi Yojana (now Shree Annapurna Rasoi Yojana)

What is Indira Rasoi Yojana?

Indira Rasoi Yojana is a Rajasthan subsidised meal scheme run by the Local Self Government Department through the state's urban local bodies. Launched on 20 August 2020, the scheme serves a full cooked meal for Rs 8 per plate at community kitchens in municipal areas, with the state government meeting the rest of the cost as a per-plate grant.

Indira Rasoi Yojana was renamed Shree Annapurna Rasoi Yojana in January 2024 by the Bhajan Lal Sharma government. The rename came with an upgrade rather than a cut: the plate size was increased to 600 grams, and the state grant per plate was raised from Rs 17 to Rs 22, while the price to the diner stayed at Rs 8. Kitchens that carried the Indira Rasoi board now carry the Annapurna Rasoi board, in the same locations.

The scheme's guiding slogan, "no one shall sleep hungry", describes its operating model accurately. There is no beneficiary list, no card, no income test and no form. A person walks into a kitchen during serving hours, pays Rs 8, and is served. That design is deliberate, because the people the scheme is meant for, migrant labourers, rickshaw pullers, patients' attendants outside district hospitals, students, bus-stand travellers and the homeless, are exactly the people least likely to be carrying documents.

Key features

• Meal at Rs 8 to the diner; Rs 22 per plate grant from the state.
• 600 grams per plate under the Annapurna Rasoi standard.
• Served twice a day: lunch and dinner.
• Run by NGOs, trusts, societies and self-help groups selected by the urban local body, not by government staff.
• Kitchens concentrated near hospitals, bus stands, railway stations, markets and labour chowks.

The programme is designed to serve roughly 2.52 lakh people a day and about 9.21 crore meals a year, against an annual budget of about Rs 250 crore, according to the official Shree Annapurna Rasoi portal.

What do you get on a plate?

According to the official portal, one Annapurna Rasoi plate weighs 600 grams and contains:

The inclusion of millet khichdi followed the state's push on Shri Anna: coarse grains such as bajra and jowar, which Rajasthan grows in quantity. The earlier Indira Rasoi plate was lighter and did not carry the millet component.

Meals are served hot and on the spot. Kitchens are not takeaway counters, although some allow a diner to eat a full plate and buy a second at the same rate.

Who can eat at an Indira Rasoi or Annapurna Rasoi?

Anyone can eat. There is no eligibility test at all:

• No ration card, Jan Aadhaar, Aadhaar or voter ID.
• No income certificate and no BPL requirement.
• No residence proof, travellers and migrants from other states are served.
• No age, caste, religion or gender condition.
• No registration in advance, and no daily limit on how many days you eat there.

What you cannot apply for: Indira Rasoi Yojana pays no cash to individuals. There is no bank transfer, no monthly allowance and no personal entitlement certificate. A person searching for an "Indira Rasoi Yojana application form" to receive money is looking for something that does not exist. The only individual benefit is the meal itself, obtained by turning up.

Who cannot apply to run a kitchen: An individual cannot bid to operate an Annapurna Rasoi as a personal livelihood grant. Operation is awarded to registered organisations, NGOs, trusts, registered societies, self-help group federations and similar bodies — with an FSSAI licence and the capacity to cook and serve at scale.

How to use Indira Rasoi / Annapurna Rasoi

1. Find the nearest kitchen. Look for the Annapurna Rasoi board near a district hospital, bus stand, railway station, mandi or major market in your town. The scheme's kitchens are sited near high-footfall locations by design. The official portal at shreeannapurnarasoi.rajasthan.gov.in and the urban local body office can confirm locations in your city.
2. Go during serving hours. According to the official portal, lunch runs from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm and dinner from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
3. Pay Rs 8 at the counter and take your token or coupon.
4. Sit and eat. Meals are served on the premises. The operator records the plate count, because the state grant is paid against verified plates served.
5. Give feedback if the quantity or quality falls short. The operator's grant depends on the record, and complaints on the portal are traceable.

How an organisation applies to run an Annapurna Rasoi kitchen

1. Watch for the Expression of Interest published by the urban local body or on the Rajasthan state public procurement portal. Municipal bodies invite EoIs at intervals as new kitchens are sanctioned or existing contracts fall due.
2. Check the organisation's standing; registration as a society, trust, Section 8 company or self-help group federation, a valid FSSAI food safety licence, PAN, GST registration where applicable, and audited accounts.
3. Submit the application to the municipal corporation, municipal council or municipality named in the notice, with the location proposed, kitchen capacity, and the staffing plan.
4. Undergo inspection. The urban local body inspects the premises for hygiene, storage, water supply and seating before award.
5. Sign the agreement and start serving. The Rs 22 per plate grant is released against plates actually served and recorded, so accurate daily reporting is the operator's core obligation.

How the money flows

Indira Rasoi Yojana works as a per-plate subsidy rather than a lump-sum grant. The diner pays Rs 8. The state adds Rs 22 per plate to the operator, raised from Rs 17 when the scheme was renamed. In many cities the urban local body also provides the premises, furniture and utilities, and in several cases capital support has come from municipal funds or CSR contributions.

Because payment follows verified plate counts, the operator has an incentive to serve, and the state has a check against inflated claims. Plate counts are entered on the scheme's monitoring system, and urban local body officers conduct inspections.

Common problems and what to do

• Kitchen shut during posted hours: report the kitchen name and time to the toll-free helpline or the portal's complaint form.
• Short weight or missing item on the plate. The 600-gram composition is fixed, and a plate missing dal or vegetables is a contract breach by the operator.
• Being asked for more than Rs 8, the price is fixed statewide. Any extra charge is unauthorised.
• Being turned away for lack of documents: no document is required. If a counter refuses service on that ground, that refusal is against the scheme's rules.
• Poor hygiene; complain to the urban local body health officer as well as on the portal, since the FSSAI licence is at stake.

Where to complain about Indira Rasoi / Annapurna Rasoi

• Toll-free helpline 18001806127, listed for the Local Self Government Department's urban schemes.
• Feedback and complaint form on shreeannapurnarasoi.rajasthan.gov.in.
• Commissioner or executive officer of the municipal corporation, council or municipality that awarded the kitchen.
• Rajasthan Sampark helpline 181 or the Rajasthan Sampark portal for a written, trackable grievance.

Eating at an Annapurna Rasoi costs Rs 8 and nothing else. No coupon agent, no registration fee and no membership exists in this scheme, and anyone selling one is running a fraud.