Ahmedabad: Gujarat’s rural development initiative is transforming livelihoods for women across the state, with more than 1,700 members of Sakhi Mandals now earning between Rs 10,000 and Rs 50,000 per month through the rapidly expanding Mangalam Canteen network, an official said on Friday.
Operated by women’s self-help groups, over 200 Mangalam Canteens are currently functional at key locations including government offices, educational institutions, hostels, hospitals, primary health centres and NGOs.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Rural Development Minister Kunvarjibhai Bavaliya, the state’s Livelihood Promotion Company — GLPC — is playing a central role in strengthening the self-reliance of women across districts.
In 2024–25 alone, the state operationalised 50 new canteens, reinforcing the vision of “Har Ghar Swadeshi, Ghar Ghar Swadeshi” while promoting dignified employment for rural women.
To further scale the model, the government has launched a “One District, One Canteen” campaign, introducing 30 new Mangalam Canteens under a unified brand and design framework. Of these, 27 have already begun operations, with new units being set up inside police departments, R&B offices, municipal buildings and other government institutions.
In many villages, women traditionally offer catering services during functions and community events. GLPC identifies such skilled women, provides structured training, and equips them with guidance in hygiene, commercial management and food safety standards. Continuous capacity-building efforts help them transition from informal catering to running full-fledged canteens.
The Mangalam brand made its debut in 2024 at the Gandhinagar Police Bhavan, where the first model canteen was launched at the Director General’s Office.
Managed entirely by six Sakhi Mandal members, the initiative quickly demonstrated its success, leading to new canteens at the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner’s Office and the Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police Office.
These canteens, equipped with improved infrastructure and staffed by trained women, now provide affordable, nutritious meals to police personnel while maintaining high standards of cleanliness and food safety.
The expanding network of Mangalam Canteens has emerged as a powerful example of how rural women’s collectives can become engines of economic growth — strengthening household incomes, enhancing dignity and contributing to Gujarat’s broader development goals.
(IANS)
