A severe fund crunch has left over 1,881 Shiv Bhojan thali operators without payments for the past six months. While some operators have already shut shop, one in Nagpur — struggling with unpaid dues to suppliers and staff —
reportedly attempted to take his own life.
Launched during the Covid-19 pandemic by the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government, the Shiv Bhojan scheme serves more than 1.7 lakh subsidised meals daily at ₹10 each across 1,881 centres. Operators, largely NGOs, self-help groups and small hoteliers, receive a subsidy of ₹25 per thali in rural areas and ₹40 in urban centres.
The scheme requires an annual outlay of around ₹227 crore, but the Mahayuti government earmarked only ₹70 crore in the FY25-26 budget. Of this, just ₹21
crore was released in April, leaving operators without funds since then. A food and civil supplies department official told Hindustan Times that the allocation was diverted to flagship schemes like Ladki Bahin. "Unless additional funds are cleared in the Winter Session, operators are unlikely to be paid till December," the official added.
The crisis has sparked statewide protests. After a demonstration outside Mantralaya two weeks ago, operators from Vidarbha will stage another protest in Nagpur on Monday. "Two hundred
centres have already closed since the scheme began in January 2020," Kayyum Shaikh, who runs a 100-thali centre in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, told HT. "“The subsidy is too meagre, and pending payments have made it impossible to pay employees or clear grocery bills."
Shaikh, representing the Maharashtra Shiv Bhojan Chalak Kriti Samiti, said some operators had not received subsidies for eight months. "Running a 100-thali centre costs ₹70,000–80,000 against a subsidy of ₹1.14 lakh. With funds blocked, workers and suppliers are left
unpaid," he said. Each centre employs at least three staff, mostly women. "They earn ₹8,000 a month. Many have even told the government they can forgo Ladki Bahin benefits if Shiv Bhojan payments are released,” Shaikh added.
Officials revealed that a proposal for supplementary funds in the July monsoon session was struck down by the finance department. "Like other schemes, this one too may be wound up for want of money," an official warned.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, however,
maintained: "The bills will be paid once the budgetary allocation is done."
