Mumbai’s 2026 Modak Mahotsav will offer steamed and fried modaks prepared by women’s self-help groups, after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Food and Drug Administration conducted food-safety training for participating groups ahead of Ganeshotsav.
The initiative has been organised under the BMC’s planning department, with guidance from its women and child welfare department. It aims to make modaks available to residents who may not have the time to prepare the traditional Ganesh festival offering at home, while creating an income opportunity for women associated with municipal self-help groups.
The training was conducted through a joint workshop organised by the BMC and the Food and Drug Administration. Participants were given guidance on maintaining hygiene while preparing modaks, food safety requirements, safe food handling, the quality of raw materials and packaging standards.
According to the report, the women’s self-help groups began preparing the modaks after receiving guidance on compliance with food-safety rules. The products will include ukadiche modak, or steamed modaks, and fried modaks, both of which are commonly prepared and consumed during Ganeshotsav.
The programme is being implemented under the guidance of Meenal Turde, chairperson of the BMC’s women and child welfare committee. The civic body has described the initiative as serving two objectives: providing residents with home-style modaks prepared under food-safety guidance and giving women’s self-help groups an avenue for economic self-reliance.
Residents can register online for the modaks through the website shgeshop.com. The ordering facility is intended to connect customers with products prepared by the participating self-help groups during the festival period.
The food-safety component gives the 2026 edition an additional institutional layer beyond the sale of festival food. By involving the Food and Drug Administration in training, the municipal initiative has placed hygiene, raw-material quality, handling and packaging alongside taste and convenience in the preparation process. Further details on participating groups, prices, delivery arrangements and order volumes were not provided in the report.
