This initiative is especially for the women of the self-help group, associated with the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).

The cafe will provide low-cost food, snacks, and other amenities to customers and will have an all women staff.

Interestingly, Didi Cafe came into existence with the aim to provide livelihood and employment to the self-help group women of the district.

Additional Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Nodal Officer (National Health Mission) Dr Satyen Rai said: “Didi canteen or cafe is all set to open at the campus of the CMO office, Prayagraj. Customers to the cafe will be getting different types of snacks, kulhad tea and coffee on nominal prices.”

Snacks like chole bhature, samosa, chowmein, bread pakora, patties, cold drinks, chips, and other eatables will also be on the menu.

“It is a commendable effort to make women self-reliant. People will be able to get economical homemade food at CMO office campus,” said Rai, adding that authorities have provided adequate space to SHG to run the Didi Cafe on the campus.

A plan is also underway to set up the Didi Cafes in Agra, Mathura, Vrindavan, Firozabad, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Jhansi, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Meerut, Aligarh, Moradabad, Saharanpur, and Shahjahanpur.

A senior official said: “This scheme will be opened in government offices besides all municipal bodies in order to enrich the women groups formed under the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM). Didi canteen will be operated by women and the income generated from this will promote the economic activities of the groups.”