In a move to stimulate the night-time economy of the city, the Delhi government is moving towards liberal policy interventions to allow relaxed functioning of the food and the hospitality sectors, officials said. On Saturday, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced a raft of measures in the budget for the financial year 2022-23 like providing land for cloud kitchens, redeveloping major food hubs and bringing in a food truck policy in the national capital.

The city government also has plans to boost the hospitality sector, including allowing bars in hotels, clubs and restaurants to remain open till late in the night, under the new excise policy.

“We have taken various steps to boost night-time economy, including the announcement of food truck policy and developing food hubs in the city, in the budget. Several other initiatives in this regard will be taken in the coming days,” a senior Delhi government official said.

He said the food truck, restaurant and the film policies would also add to the nightlife in the national capital.

Another official said the National Capital Region Planning Board, in its Regional Draft Plan 2041, suggested NCR states to encourage night economy by developing facilities and infrastructure for it.

The draft plan said that while preparing plans for tourism and visitation, the states can support the growth of the night-time economy by enhancing amenities, vibrancy and safety at the centres and by improving public facilities.

Presenting the budget for 2022-23, Sisodia announced that the Arvind Kejriwal government was preparing a policy to allow food trucks to operate at designated places in the city from 8 pm to 2 am.

Citing 2,000 cloud kitchens in the city, Sisodia said they are emerging as a strong part of the restaurant industry and are growing at a rate of more than 20 per cent every year.

“Cloud kitchens are one of the sectors that supports the night-time economy,” he said.

Officials in the government said the hospitality industry is a significant contributor to the state’s overall economy and needs to have a conducive environment for smooth operation.

The new excise policy of the Delhi government also suggests that the restrictions related to excise operations in hotels, clubs and restaurants need to be in sync with present-day business and social perspectives.

The new excise policy suggests changes to the “archaic” rules related to not allowing music in independent restaurants, and lowering of the legal drinking age from 25 years to 21 years.

The policy initiatives for ease of doing business also recommend that the bars in hotels, restaurants and clubs be allowed to operate till 3 am.

On their part to boost night-time economy, the three civic bodies recently approved a scheme to provide health trade licences for setting up e-food carts or food vans in their respective jurisdictions.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has passed an open-air dining policy with an aim to push night-time economy and generate more revenue.

Under the policy, open-air dining has been allowed only at those restaurants that have privately owned open spaces such terraces, balconies and lawns so that there is no encroachment on public land or pavements.

Over 60 such restaurants were given permits for open-air dining in the SDMC jurisdiction till last year, while around 100 applications were awaiting scrutiny under the scheme.

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