New Café Run by Women SHGs Opens Doors in Dharwad, Karnataka

In the bustling taluk-centre of Dharwad, a fresh enterprise is stirring, not just in kitchens, but in local aspirations. Under the government’s livelihood mission, a new “Akka Café” was inaugurated by the Labour Minister, managed entirely by a women’s self-help group called Kamadhenu.

Symbolically cutting vegetables instead of a ribbon, the minister highlighted the importance of sustainable livelihoods for women and declared that 50 such cafés will be established across rural and semi-urban areas in the 2024-25 budget period.

The café promises hygienic, locally sourced food at affordable prices, run by women entrepreneurs who receive training in food hygiene, management and micro-finance support. The initiative aims to weave together entrepreneurship, community self-reliance and social recognition of women’s work beyond households.

While the concept may seem simple, a café run by women; the implications are significant. It presents women in entrepreneurship, brand building and operations management, roles that often remain male-dominated in smaller towns. The training programmes equip the self-help group members not only with cooking skills but with bookkeeping, inventory control, customer service and digital payments.

For many of the women, the café is their first business venture which is transforming ideas into cash flow, building confidence and roles in local commerce. The government hopes that the model will replicate across taluk centres, creating a network of women-led food enterprises, generating jobs for youth and shifting community perceptions about women’s economic potential. The launch in Dharwad is therefore not just a business opening—it is a quiet revolution of possibility.