Kaushambi: Inside a Small Unit Making Everyday Namkeen and Snacks
•February 10, 2026
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Why It Matters
The venture shows how targeted youth entrepreneurship schemes can empower women in India's informal food sector, stabilizing household income and strengthening local snack supply chains.
Key Takeaways
- •CM YUVA loan enabled startup with ₹2.21 L loan
- •Total equipment investment reached roughly ₹6 L
- •Production relies on same‑day frying and hand‑packaging
- •Sales driven by local distribution, not large retailers
- •Unit provides primary income for a single‑parent household
Pulse Analysis
India's snack market thrives on a dense network of micro‑enterprises that churn out namkeen, sev and other fried treats for daily consumption. These businesses often operate out of modest rooms, rely on family labor, and face razor‑thin margins dictated by oil prices and seasonal demand. Government initiatives such as the CM‑YUVA scheme aim to inject capital into this segment, especially for women and first‑time entrepreneurs, recognizing that modest financing can unlock significant livelihood gains and bolster the informal economy.
In Kaushambi, Shakuntala Devi exemplifies this dynamic. Leveraging a ₹2.21 lakh youth loan and an additional ₹4 lakh of personal savings, she equipped a one‑room unit with dough‑kneading and shaping machines, raising total capital to roughly ₹6 lakh. The production line is deliberately simple: dough is mixed, shaped, fried, seasoned by hand, and packaged for same‑day delivery to nearby shops and households. Early challenges included synchronising machine cycles, managing raw‑material inventory, and maintaining cash flow, but the tight turnaround ensures fresh product quality and reduces storage costs, keeping the operation financially viable.
The broader implication is clear: low‑cost mechanisation combined with accessible micro‑finance can transform household kitchens into sustainable micro‑manufacturing hubs. As digital marketplaces expand, such units could tap into regional e‑commerce platforms, scaling beyond neighborhood stalls while preserving the artisanal appeal that consumers value. Policymakers should therefore consider expanding scheme coverage, simplifying loan disbursement, and offering training on food safety and digital sales to amplify the impact of women‑led snack enterprises across India.
Kaushambi: inside a small unit making everyday namkeen and snacks
In Kaushambi, a small production room runs on a simple routine of dough, hot oil, and packing work that must be finished the same day. Shakuntala Devi, has set up a namkeen unit here, making everyday snacks familiar to local buyers— pulla, churri, katori, and pasta-shaped fried items. The work is not framed as a brand story or a big launch; it is a practical effort to keep production moving and cash flow steady.
Her work sits in the everyday economy of local snacks, where demand is steady but margins depend on consistency, oil prices, and whether production can keep pace with small orders. “We take it out of the oil, mix the masala, then pack it and sell,” she says, describing a process that moves quickly once the frying begins.
From borrowed starts to machines
Devi says she has been running the unit for about a year. The decision, she explains, came after her husband left for Dubai, where he has been for a year. With expenses to manage at home, she felt she needed an income stream that did not depend on waiting for money to come from outside. She describes herself as the sole earner in the household at present, and says she also hopes the unit can eventually support a few more people with regular work.
Starting, however, was not smooth. She recalls adjusting money from here and there in the early days, and trying to understand how to formalise the work. She applied for support through the Mukhyamantri Yuva Udyami Vikas Abhiyan (CM YUVA) Yojana and received a loan of ₹2,21,000. Alongside that, she says she added around ₹4,00,000 from home to purchase machines, bringing the total value of the equipment to around ₹6 lakh.
Even after machines arrived, the work needed time to settle into a rhythm. She mentions that preparing materials can take weeks, and that setting up steady production took longer than she expected. In the beginning, she says, she started small, investing about ₹30,000 to bring raw materials and start trial runs.
Work that keeps running
Inside the unit, the steps are practical and repetitive: dough is kneaded, the mix is fed into machines, shapes are cut, and batches are fried. After draining, the masala is mixed by hand, and the packets are sealed. Sales, she suggests, are still built through local circulation—small distribution and regular buyers—rather than any large market arrangement.
For Devi, the unit has become a way to manage uncertainty, with a routine she can control. The early months were about arranging money, learning the sequence of machines, and keeping the first batches saleable. Now, she measures progress more quietly: the unit runs, packets go out, and some income returns home regularly, easing the pressure that pushed her to begin in the first place.
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