Food delivery platform Swiggy on Thursday announced the expansion of its street food vendors programme to 125 cities under the Prime Minister Street Vendor's AtmaNibhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme.
It said the initiative follows a successful pilot that the company initiated with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Chennai, Delhi and Indore through which over 300 street vendors have already been onboarded. Swiggy has created a special destination on the app where consumers can discover their favourite street food vendors. At the time of onboarding, all vendors will be registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and provided training with certification.
The SVANidhi Scheme has received loan applications from 1.47 lakh street food vendors so far. From these, in the first phase alone, Swiggy will onboard 36,000 vendors to whom the loan has been disbursed in 125 cities.
Understanding that it is equally important to train the vendors on digital skills such as handling the partner app, menu digitisation and pricing, Swiggy conducts virtual one-on-one training and takes them through the process of accepting, preparing, and fulfilling orders on the platform without compromising on consumer experience.
Chief Operating Officer Vivek Sunder said street vendors are integral to the food culture in India. "We thank the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for giving Swiggy the opportunity to do our bit to help them adapt to the 'new normal' and embrace and thrive in the digital economy."
Swiggy connects consumers to over one lakh restaurant partners and stores in over 500 cities.
