Sundargarh: Providing hygienic food to the people at affordable prices and livelihood opportunities for the women, the ‘Utkal Kitchen’ initiative in Sundargarh district has turned out to be hugely successful. This modern restaurant fully managed by ‘Mission Shakti Women’ meets the daily food requirements of government officials as well as visitors to the block headquarters.
The first ‘Utkal Kitchen’ is currently operational at Kuanrmunda block of Sundargarh district. The kitchen run by the ‘Sai Shradha’ women self-help group (SHG) members provides breakfast, lunch, tea, coffee and snacks for the customers. The women also prepare dinner as per requirement. The restaurant is operational from 8.00am to 7.00pm on week days.
The ‘Utkal Kitchen’, is an initiative of the Sundargarh district administration. It is aimed at augmenting livelihood of women SHGs. It functions under Odisha Livelihoods Mission (OLM) of Mission Shakti department. The SHG members are being trained to take up such non-traditional enterprises in order to connect them with diverse livelihood opportunities by expanding the canvas of their activities.
The Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas Development Corporation (OMBADC) financially supports the ‘Utkal Kitchen’ unit at Kuanrmunda. The administration has plans to open such units in 16 blocks of Sundargarh district support from the District Mineral Foundation.