Mandya Launches Women-Run Akka Cafe at Pandavapura

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Wednesday, 10 June 2026

In line with emphasizing inclusive growth and empowering women across the district, Mandya district in Karnataka has introduced its first-ever Akka Café, which operates from the premises of the Pandavapura Taluk Panchayat.

This initiative is bound to assist and empower women entrepreneurs in generating income, being self-reliant, and creating enterprise initiatives to ensure sustained economic growth in the district.

Underlining the importance of women-owned businesses in achieving inclusive growth, MLA Melkote Darshan Puttannaiah launched the Akka Café and called upon the public to utilize the service to the fullest. As pointed out by him, the project aims at serving as a source of not only quality and affordable food but also sustainable earning for women entrepreneurs.

Key Highlights:

• Mandya launches first Akka Café, creating sustainable business opportunities for women entrepreneurs
• Six women-run Akka Cafés planned under NRLM to boost livelihoods and local enterprise growth
• Akka Cafés combine affordable food services with women’s economic empowerment and self-reliance

Increasing women’s entrepreneurial opportunities, K.R. Nandini, Zilla Panchayat CEO, made an announcement for the opening of six Akka Café canteens in Mandya district through the NRLM (National Rural Livelihood Mission).

She also added that these cafes run by women from Self Help Groups (SHGs) will offer healthy, hygienic, and low-cost local delicacies to consumers. The project will not only generate livelihoods for the locals but will also empower women entrepreneurs in sustaining the catering business.

Akka Café’s mission was born out of the necessity to offer thousands of women in the self-help groups of Karnataka an opportunity for formal and sustainable business engagement. These women will handle daily operations, sales, and customer service as micro-entrepreneurs.

The purpose is to support women who are engaged in the cooking process as a way of transitioning into entrepreneurs and, thus, generating inclusive economic development and a unique community brand. These cafes will be situated in areas that attract lots of people like government offices, bus stops, parks, and places where tourists visit frequently.

On similar lines, the state government has made a large investment in infrastructure and finances. This will further ensure that Akka Cafés are launched successfully and remain profitable in the future. In addition to operating as a business venture in the sphere of catering services, the initiatives focuses on providing viable means of earning for women sustainably.

The Akka Cafés are being developed as sustainable business organizations in their communities run by women and supported technically by the Kudumbashree National Resource Organization.

The strategic implementation process is going ahead by using a two-fold expansion strategy, with the first batch of cafés to be launched in Pandavapura, Srirangapatna, and Malavalli taluks and the second in Mandya, Maddur, and Nagamangala taluks. The responsibility for making sure the rest of the cafés begin their operations has been given to officials by July.

Apart from offering good quality traditional cuisine under hygienic conditions, these cafes will use technology to simplify their operations, with automated payment system, catering services, and performance evaluation to make the overall services more efficient and effective.