Indira Amma Bhojanalya

What is Indira Amma Bhojanalya?

Indira Amma Bhojanalya is a subsidised canteen scheme of the Government of Uttarakhand that serves a full, nutritious thali at a low fixed price to the poor and needy. Indira Amma Bhojanalya sells a plate for Rs 20 in the plains districts and Rs 25 in the hill areas, and the state government pays a grant of Rs 10 per plate so the price to the customer stays affordable. The canteens are run by women self-help groups, which also gives rural and urban women a livelihood. Readers also know it as the Indira Amma canteen or Amma Bhojanalaya.

According to reporting on the scheme's launch in Dehradun and the scheme details, the plate is priced at Rs 20 in Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital and Rs 25 in the hill districts, where transport and supply cost more. The Rs 10 per plate grant is borne by the state. Each canteen operates under the supervision of the district's Chief Development Officer, and the local urban development authority, municipal corporation or municipality provides free space and furniture while the Uttarakhand Power Corporation and Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan provide electricity and water free of cost.

Main features

• A full meal for Rs 20 (plains) or Rs 25 (hills), with a Rs 10 per plate state subsidy.
• Canteens run by women self-help groups, creating women's livelihoods.
• Up to 1,200 plates a day in high-population districts and 800 plates a day elsewhere.
• Free premises, furniture, electricity and water provided by government bodies.

Who benefits from Indira Amma Bhojanalya?

You can eat at the canteen if:

• You are any resident or visitor who needs an affordable meal, the scheme is aimed at the poor and needy, but a customer is not asked to prove income.
• You reach a canteen during its serving hours and pay the fixed plate price.

You can run a canteen if:

• You are part of a registered women's self-help group willing to cook and serve under the district administration's supervision.

Who cannot apply to run a canteen, and what a customer cannot expect:

• An individual or a private commercial firm cannot apply to operate an Indira Amma Bhojanalya for profit: operation is reserved for women's self-help groups under the Chief Development Officer's oversight.
• A group that is not a registered women's SHG is not eligible to run a canteen, even if it is willing to cook and serve.
• A customer cannot expect a free meal: the scheme is a subsidised meal, not a free one, so the customer pays the fixed Rs 20 or Rs 25 while the state adds Rs 10 per plate.

There is no customer registration, no card and no income certificate to eat at the canteen. This open-access design is deliberate, so that anyone hungry can buy a plate without paperwork.

How does the pricing and subsidy work?

Indira Amma Bhojanalya keeps the plate affordable by splitting the real cost. The customer pays Rs 20 in the four plains districts (Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital) or Rs 25 in the hills, and the state government adds Rs 10 per plate as a grant to the operating self-help group. Because the local urban body gives free space and furniture and the utilities give free power and water, the group's overheads are low, and the subsidy plus the plate price covers the cost of a nutritious meal. Media reports in 2024 discussed revising the plate price, so the exact amount can change over time; always confirm the current rate at the canteen.

How to apply to open an Indira Amma Bhojanalya canteen (for a self-help group)

1. Form or use a registered women's SHG. The canteen must be operated by a women's self-help group, so the group should be registered and willing to cook and serve daily.
2. Approach the district administration. Apply through the office of the Chief Development Officer (CDO), who supervises the scheme in the district and identifies canteen locations based on footfall.
3. Get the premises and utilities allotted. The urban development authority, municipal corporation or municipality provides free space and furniture, and the power and water utilities connect electricity and water free of cost.
4. Start serving and claim the grant. Cook and serve the fixed-price meal — up to 1,200 plates a day in the largest districts and 800 elsewhere, and receive the Rs 10 per plate state grant.

How to find a canteen and eat there

Because customers need no registration, using the canteen is simple: reach an Indira Amma Bhojanalya outlet during serving hours and buy a plate at the fixed price. Canteens are located in busy areas of cities and towns where the CDO has identified demand. To find the nearest one, ask at the district Rural Development office or the municipal body, which hold the list of operating canteens.

What are common questions and issues?

• Is the food really subsidised? Yes. The Rs 10 per plate state grant plus free premises and utilities keep the customer price low.
• What if a canteen is closed or short of plates? Each canteen has a daily cap (800 or 1,200 plates), so arrive within serving hours; report a persistently closed canteen to the district CDO office.
• Can the price differ between canteens? The hill and plains rates differ by design, and the price may be revised over time by government order.

Key facts about the scheme

• Indira Amma Bhojanalya is run by the Rural Development Department of Uttarakhand through district administrations.
• The plate costs Rs 20 in four plains districts and Rs 25 in the hills, with a Rs 10 per plate state grant.
• Women's self-help groups operate the canteens under the Chief Development Officer.
• Daily capacity is up to 1,200 plates in large districts and 800 elsewhere.

When did the scheme start and how is it structured?

Indira Amma Bhojanalya was created by a Government of Uttarakhand order dated 25 August 2015 and the first canteens opened in November 2015, serving a plate at Rs 20. The scheme was conceived as a twin-purpose measure: an affordable meal for the urban and rural poor, and a steady livelihood for women's self-help groups. Self-help groups formed under the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) are also eligible to run an Indira Amma canteen, which ties the scheme into the wider women's-livelihood ecosystem the Rural Development Department and urban local bodies already support.

The subsidy design is what keeps the plate cheap. The operating SHG receives the premises, furniture, electricity and water free from the local urban body and the state utilities, and the state adds Rs 10 per plate on top of the price the customer pays. Because the group's fixed costs are absorbed by government, the Rs 20 or Rs 25 collected at the counter plus the Rs 10 grant is enough to cover a full, nutritious thali and leave the group a working margin.

Help and information

• District Rural Development office / Chief Development Officer: the point of contact for canteen locations and for SHGs wanting to run one.
• Rural Development Department portal: ukrd.uk.gov.in carries departmental scheme information.

No customer needs to pay more than the notified plate price. A women's self-help group interested in running a canteen should apply only through the district administration, which allots the location, premises and subsidy.