Swiggy Partners Govt To Build 'world's Largest' Street Food Vendor Project

Food delivery and technology firm Swiggy is collaborating with the government for the Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNibhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) Scheme to a programme it has in 125 cities. This follows a successful pilot that Swiggy initiated with the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in the cities of Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Chennai, Delhi and Indore. In the pilot stage, Swiggy has already onboarded over 300 street vendors on its platform.

The SVANidhi scheme has received loan applications from 147,000 street food vendors so far. From these, in the first phase alone, Swiggy will onboard about 36,000 vendors to whom the loan has been disbursed in 125 cities, potentially making this initiative by Swiggy and MoHUA the largest of its kind not just in India, but globally.

Vivek Sunder, chief operating officer of Swiggy, said there has been a long-term change in consumer behaviour regarding continued social distancing and heightened demand for online services like food delivery.

“As a platform committed to bringing the widest choice of food to the doorsteps of consumers safely and hygienically, we’re delighted to bring them their favourite street food which they have been missing for many months now,” he said.

Bengaluru-based 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 are registered with FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India). Swiggy will then facilitate a Food Safety Training and Certification (FOSTAC) in partnership with FSSAI and their empanelled partners.

Swiggy aims to bring every kind of food experience to the customers’ doorstep.

This includes street food, which is often unique to each region. Swiggy said it also understands the changes and challenges that street food vendors had faced in the wake of the pandemic and which had forced many of them to shut shop overnight. In an effort to provide meaningful support to the street food vendors to revive their business and offer much-needed visibility, Swiggy is leveraging its platform and large delivery fleet to bring street food to the doorsteps of customers safely and hygienically.

One of the vendors, Rajesh Gupta, Shree Ram Chaat Bhandar in Varanasi, had been running Chaat Bhandar for over six years now and has been known in the neighbourhood of Sundarpur. As Covid restrictions came into effect, all customers, including those who regularly came to his stall stopped, putting a lot of stress on me.

“I’m grateful for this new scheme by the government and this initiative by Swiggy that is helping vendors like me use mobile technology for the first time to reach customers,” said Gupta .”I have been on Swiggy for a few days now and it has helped me expand my customer base to those who are unable to come to my stall.”

Highlights:

Swiggy becomes the first food delivery aggregator in India to partner with the MoHUA

It will onboard street food vendors from over 125 cities in Phase 1

The government’s SVANidhi Scheme has received loan applications from 1.47 lakh street food vendors so far.

In Phase 1, Swiggy will onboard about 36,000 vendors to whom the loan has been disbursed in 125 cities.

This initiative by Swiggy and MoHUA has the potential to become the largest of its kind globally.

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