Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government will set up 100 Swachhata Cafes with an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore by 2023 and each cafe will be free from the use of single-use plastic, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Virender Kanwar said on Sunday.
The government aimed to set up 10 such cafes at important tourist destinations, he said.
Kanwar said the state is laying emphasis on cleanliness, women empowerment and promotion of regional cuisines in the hill state.
The menu at the Swachhata Cafes will be traditional, healthy and delicious with an aim to preserve the state’s rich culinary heritage.
The attempt will also help to preserve traditional cuisines, ingredients, methods of preparation, and recipes of authentic foods.
The cafes will be constructed under the Village Haat Scheme where rural women will be facilitated to sell medicinal plants to get additional income.
For this, a target has been fixed to train around 5,000 women belonging to self-help groups in three years to run these cafes.
The first Swachhata Cafes was inaugurated last month at Radiali gram panchayat in Nalagarh area in Solan district, which is to be run by the self-help group. Another cafe would be opened at Naggar in Kullu district.
The minister said the programme aims to make the villages single-use plastic-free.
