There's a popular saying, 'distance makes the heart grow fonder,' and we definitely feel that way for street food we've not been able to have during the lockdown.
Be it gobbling golgappas or getting a scrumptious bite of street-side vada pavs, we've all been deprived of the heavenly pleasures of street foods.?
For those who can't wait anymore, there's some good news!
Now, you can order your favourite street food through online food?ordering platforms as the urban affairs ministry (MoHUA )and a major online food ordering and delivery platform have signed an MoU to enable street food vendors to tap a bigger market using the company¡¯s e-commerce platform for more business.
According to a report in the?Times of India, a pilot project will be carried out in this regard across five cities involving 250 vendors. These cities are Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Indore and Varanasi.? ?
The pilot project will be expanded sequentially to other cities. The ministry said street vendors will be helped with PAN and FSSAI registration, training on technology and partner app usage, menu digitisation and pricing, hygiene and packaging best practices.
Also Read:?Here Are Interesting Stories Behind The Origin Of India's Favorite Street Food Pani Puri
"The street vendors will be helped with PAN and FSSAI registration, training on technology/partner app usage, menu digitisation and pricing, hygiene and packaging best practices," it added.??
The MoHUA has coordinated with the key stakeholders, including municipal corporations, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Swiggy and GST officials, to ensure that necessary prerequisites are completed for this initiative, the official said.??
Also Read:?Live For All Things Street Food? Here Are 11 Things The Foodie In You Will Relate To
?An MoU was exchanged by Joint Secretary Sanjay Kumar and Swiggy chief financial officer Rahul Bothra through a webinar in the presence of Union Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra.??
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, when physical distancing is key to check its spread, this novel initiative aims to radically transform the business of street vendors across cities by facilitating them to receive orders and serve customers using online mode of business, it stated.?
Upon the successful completion of the pilot, the ministry and Swiggy plan to expand this initiative across the country in phases, according to the statement.
This partnership is seen as yet another move by the MoHUA to empower street vendors with digital technology and facilitate greater income-earning opportunities by being present on a popular online food delivery platform like Swiggy, the statement said.
Under the PM SVANidhi Scheme, street vendors can avail a working capital loan of up to Rs 10,000, which is repayable in monthly instalments within one year.
All Inputs PTI