Chakli on wheels to give Arya Vysyas a lift

Traditional chakli-nippat snacks are synonymous with the Arya-Vysyas and their once ubiquitous street-corner shops. Imagine food trucks selling these and other nibbles that have the community’s signature.

The Karnataka Arya-Vysya Community Development Corporation has proposed a new self-employment scheme under which affordable loans of Rs 5-10 lakh will be given to members of the community wishing to start snacks-on-wheels business.

Karnataka is home to about seven lakh Arya-Vysyas, who are historically Telugu-speaking traders with a common surname of Setty.

“Basically, our community is meant for food, especially chaat, chakli, nippat etc,” corporation chairperson Arun D S said. “Because of malls and volume-based businesses, the spirit of entrepreneurship is in a bad state and the identity of the good old Setty angadi (shop) is getting lost.”

According to Arun, the proposed self-employment scheme will gentrify the community’s foods. “We have proposed a loan scheme under which Rs 5 lakh will be given for three-wheeled food carts and Rs 10 lakh for a bigger one,” Arun said.

The corporation, which came into existence last year, is already providing loans of Rs 1 lakh with a 20% subsidy and the rest Rs 80,000 will have a 4% annual interest, Arun added.

Such self-employment schemes will go a long way in the economic development of the community, Arun said. “From what I have seen so far, at least about 10% of the community is in a bad position.”

The corporation functions under the Backward Classes Welfare department. The proposal is being discussed. The government will have to take a call,” Backward Classes secretary Mohammed Mohsin said. “We are also looking to provide the Ganga Kalyana scheme to the Arya-Vysya community,” he added. The Ganga Kalyana scheme provides irrigation facilities (borewells) to farmers.