Inspired by the success of the Indira Amma Canteen situated at MDDA complex near Clock Tower, Chief Minister Harish Rawat launched two more such canteens at Transport Nagar and Doon Hospital premises in the city on Thursday, marking the birth anniversary of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. As planned earlier, such cheap subsidised canteens have come up in all the 13 districts of the state the same day.
Sarfeena, a self- help group working under the umbrella of Sarfeena Sewa Kendra, was assigned the task of running the canteen at Transport Nagar. Around 100 SHGs are working under the Sarfeena Sewa Kendra. Earlier, this SHG was involved in making school uniforms for the students of the government schools and some private schools. The members also teach the children living in the slums.
Deepa, secretary of the Sarfeena, said that 15 members from the SHG will be working for the canteen and another group — Indira Gandhi SHG- will work to clean the rice of the pebbles mixed with it. “We will pay them from our profit,” she said and added that around 150 people would have lunch at a time in the canteen.
Another member of the SHG Namrata said the initiative launched at the instance of the Chief Minister is laudable. “He is focused on bringing about women empowerment through myriad schemes thus envisaged. The women in great number are being employed and consequently, their families are being benefited,” she said.
Saraswati Samooh Sahayta, another SHG based in Dehradun, will manage the canteen that came up at Doon Hospital. This SHG has been engaged in making ‘vadiya’, a food item prepared from pulse and in making candles aside from the catering work. Around 15 – 20 members from the group will manage the kitchen department, said a member of the group.