Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department, Government of Maharashtra has issued a Government Resolution (GR) bringing all earlier provisions of the scheme under one set of rules.

Issued on October 01, the new GR consolidates rules regarding conditions, center selection, financial and administrative processes, food quality, monitoring and payment procedures under one rule.

New consolidated rules governing the Shivbhojan Scheme:

CCTV surveillance made mandatory at Shivbhojan Centers. Ninety days of CCTV footage must be preserved the center operator.
Takeaway of parcel service is not allowed. Food provided by the Shivbhojan center is for consumption within the premises and outside food is also prohibited.
Government employees or the employees of the establishment where a Shivbhojan center operates cannot themselves consume the subsidized food.
Shivbhojan Centers will operation between 11 am to 3 pm.
Each center must have a seating facility for at least 25 people at a time and should have the capacity to serve 75 to 200 thalis per day.
The beneficiaries will pay Rs. 10 for a thali, even though the cost of a thali has been fixed at Rs. 50 in urban areas and Rs. 35 in rural areas. The government will bear the balance cost as subsidy.
The government has introduced penalties for irregularities and non compliance. These include show cause notices, financial penalties and suspension/cancellation of licenses to operate a Shivbhojan center.
There are penalties also for keeping a center closed, not operating CCTV system or not serving food as per prescribed norms.
Serving stale or low quality food, uploading duplicate photographs or allowing any other person to operate the center may lead to suspension/cancelation of the license.

What is the Shivbhojan Scheme?

Shivbhojan scheme is an initiative of the Government of Maharashtra to provide highly subsidized food to the needy such as the poor, laborers, needy or the migrant persons to the state. It was started on January 26, 2020. Since its launch several circulars and GRs have been published to streamline various aspects of the scheme, which now have been brought under on set of rules.

What Does a Shivbhojan Thali Contain?

According to the GR, a Shivbhojan Thali must contain:

2 Chapatis, 30 grams each
100 grams vegetable
100 grams dal
150 grams rice

Who Can Operate a Shivbhojan Center

Government of Maharashta has invited proposals from Khanavalis, Eateries, NGOs, Women Self Help Groups, Restaurant and Mess operators to operate Shivbhojan Centers.

The GR also specifies that the Shivbhojan centers should be located at district hospitals, bus stations, railway station areas, markets and government office areas. The center operator must ensure food quality as per prescribed norms and must obtain a FSSAI license.