NEW DELHI: With the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) releasing the first tranche of funds, 18 cities are set to develop street food hubs under an initiative aimed at providing organised, hygienic and well-equipped vending spaces to street food vendors.
Launched by MoHUA in April, as part of the PM SVANidhi scheme, the initiative aims to develop up to 50 organised street food hubs across the country.
With the programme, the government seeks to strengthen the livelihoods of street vendors while promoting local culinary heritage, ensuring food safety and hygiene, and developing sustainable food destinations, particularly in cities with tourism potential.
The initiative is being implemented by the department of urban development (DoUD) through a convergence-based approach. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will provide skill training and certification to vendors to improve food handling and hygiene standards.
Under the initiative, each street food hub will receive financial assistance of Rs 4 crore. The funds are to be released in three installments: 30 per cent as the first installment, 50 per cent as the second and the remaining 20 per cent after completion. In addition, cities that have notified their Street Vending Plan will receive an incentive of Rs 25 lakh. An additional incentive of Rs 25 lakh will be provided for cities that notify a City Street Vending Plan.
Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal released the funds last month at the National Urban Conclave 2026 in Bhubaneswar, marking the first phase of the ambitious initiative.
The 18 selected cities are Ahmedabad and Dwarka (Gujarat), Ayodhya and Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Bhubaneswar and Puri (Odisha), Cyberabad in Telangana, Daman, Indore and Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), Kurukshetra (Haryana), Lakhanpur and Tangmarg (Jammu and Kashmir), Madurai (Tamil Nadu), Manali (Himachal Pradesh), Mysuru (Karnataka) and Nathdwara (Rajasthan).
Preference is being given to cities and towns with high tourism potential, cultural and heritage significance, distinctive local food traditions and convergence with initiatives such as Swadesh Darshan, PRASHAD, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and UNESCO Creative Cities. The ministry had received 126 proposals from 32 states and Union Territories (UTs), covering 106 urban local bodies and seven census towns.