- The Minister of Culture has informed the Lok Sabha about the Seva Bhoj Yojana.
- Seva Bhoj Yojna is a Central Sector Scheme to provide reimbursement of CGST and Central Government’s share of IGST paid by charitable and religious institutions on purchase of specific raw food items for serving free food to public or devotees.
- Under the scheme,the financial assistance will be provided for free food offered by charitable/religious institutions like Gurudwara, Temples, Dharmik Ashram, Mosques, Dargah, Church, Math, Monasteries among others.
- The specific raw food items covered under the Scheme are: (i) Ghee (ii) Edible Oil (iii) Sugar/Burra/Jaggery (iv) Rice (v) Atta/Maida/Rava/Flour and (vi) Pulses.
- These Charitable Religious Institutions should have been distributing free food in the form of ‘prasad’, ‘langar’/bhandara (community kitchen) to at least 5000 persons in a calendar month for at least the past 3 years.
- Further,Financial Assistance under the scheme shall be given only to those institutions which are not in receipt of any Financial Assistance from the Central /State Government for the purpose of distributing free food.
- The Institution/Organization blacklisted under the provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act(FCRA) or under the provisions of any Act/Rules of the Central/State Government shall also not be eligible for Financial Assistance under the Scheme.
