NEW DELHI: With an aim to strengthen the night-time economy and boost the food and beverages industry — one of the six major sectors for creating job opportunities — Delhi’s finance minister Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday said the government will provide land for cloud kitchens, redevelop major food hubs and introduce a food truck policy in the national capital.
Presenting the Budget for the financial year 2022-23, Sisodia said the government is preparing a policy to allow food trucks to operate at designated places from 8 pm to 2 am. He said, “This will not only boost the night economy of the city but will also create more than 60,000 jobs in the next five years.”
The government will provide land to the cloud kitchen with plug and play facilities and also ease their licensing process.
Sisodia said that the cloud kitchens have huge potential for revenue generation and this sector will create a large number of both direct and indirect job opportunities. A cloud kitchen utilises a commercial kitchen for the purpose of preparing food for delivery or takeout only, with no dine-in facility. These enable the restaurateurs to expand an existing restaurant or start a virtual brand at minimal cost.
“Major food hubs will be identified, redeveloped and promoted as social and cultural heritage of Delhi,” said Sisodia.
The government is also looking to invest in the retail, and food and beverage sectors, which are growing at a rate of 25 per cent having potential to generate high-income jobs, he added.
Riyaz Amlani, who runs a chain of restaurants in Delhi, said it’s a great initiative. “We need to understand that businesses create jobs and restaurants are one of the most high-density job providers,” he said.
Amlani added that making food trucks available at night will add more charm to the city as youngsters or people working till late evening can have access to food anytime.
National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI) said, “We are grateful to the government to consider this industry as one of the major focus areas for intervention. This will help in creating more jobs and more opportunities for business.”