Union Home Minister Amit Shah has launched the ‘One District, One Cuisine’ (ODOC) initiative in Uttar Pradesh, aimed at giving a distinct identity to the traditional food and beverage specialities of each district. It is in line with the state’s flagship ‘One District, One Product’ (ODOP) programme.

The ‘One District, One Cuisine’ scheme, unveiled during an event held in Lucknow on the occasion of Uttar Pradesh Day, aims to put the state’s delicacies like Agra’s petha, Mathura’s peda, Lucknow’s Malai Makhan, Kanpur’s Samosa on the global map with GI-tag recognition. The ODOP initiative has helped several region-specific products from Uttar Pradesh gain recognition at the national and international levels.

Building on that success, the ODOC scheme seeks to similarly promote district-specific cuisines and traditional recipes.

The initiative is expected to benefit small food entrepreneurs and local workers by helping their signature dishes reach wider and even global markets.

The ODOC programme will also focus on improving the quality, hygiene and food safety of local cuisines by aligning them with prescribed food safety standards. One specific, historical and traditional cuisine will be identified from each district of Uttar Pradesh under the ODOC scheme.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, and Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh were present at the launch event, along with senior state officials.