‘Didi Ki Rasoi’ to open at 19 major bus depots in Bihar

Canteens under the Jeevika Didi’s Kitchen Scheme will be opened at bus depots in Bankipur, Ara, Biharsharif, Phulwarisharif, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Motihari, Chhapra, Siwan, Darbhanga, Gaya, Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Nawada, Bhagalpur, Jamui, Munger, Purnea and Saharsa

After successfully operating more than 300 kitchen units across Bihar, the government-supported community kitchen initiative “Didi Ki Rasoi”, run by women self-help groups (SHGs), will now be extended to 19 major bus depots in the state, officials said.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar with Deputy CMSamrat Choudhary visit women-run kitchen cum canteen at New Police Line in Patna. (Santosh Kumar/HT)

Canteens under the Jeevika Didi’s Kitchen Scheme will be opened at bus depots in Bankipur, Ara, Biharsharif, Phulwarisharif, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Motihari, Chhapra, Siwan, Darbhanga, Gaya, Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Nawada, Bhagalpur, Jamui, Munger, Purnea and Saharsa, with scope for further expansion, according to transport department officials.

Bihar’s minister for transport and rural development, Shravan Kumar, announced the decision at a programme marking the conclusion of Saras Mela in Patna on Sunday. Saras Mela is a flagship fair showcasing rural crafts and livelihoods, with a focus on promoting women-led SHGs.

Officials said that the move followed the minister’s recent inspections of several bus depots, including Nawada, where he expressed dissatisfaction over the quality of existing food and beverage facilities. Kumar noted that inadequate food arrangements at bus depots cause inconvenience to passengers, drivers and staff, particularly during long journeys, and directed officials to immediately introduce Jeevika Didi’s kitchen services at these locations.

“Didi Ki Rasoi” is already functioning extensively across the state in hospitals, government offices and other institutions. At present, it operates in 10 medical college hospitals, 36 district hospitals, 50 sub-divisional hospitals, government residential schools for SC, ST, backward, extremely backward classes and minorities, 49 police training centres, and minority welfare hostels, collectively serving around 2.5 lakh people every day.

An official said that the scheme has also been catering to nearly 21,000 police personnel four times a day since July last year, following the latest constable recruitment drive. “We opened 39 kitchen units at police training centres within 72 hours after receiving approval from the home department on July 18 last year,” the official said.

The Bihar government has set an ambitious target of generating up to one crore employment opportunities through Jeevika Didis in the coming years, officials added. Over 1.40 crore women are enrolled under Jeevika, the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS) — a flagship programme of the government of Bihar, launched in 2006, aimed at reducing poverty by empowering women through SHGs.

As part of the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana — a Bihar government scheme launched before the assembly elections in 2025 — one woman per eligible family received an initial cash grant of ₹10,000 directly into her bank account via direct benefit transfer. The objective was to help women associated with Jeevika self-help groups (often called “Jeevika Didis”) begin small self-employment ventures like tailoring, dairy, grocery shops, goat/poultry rearing, and other livelihood activities.