Sundergarh: “Mission Shakti” is the self-help mission for empowering women through the promotion of Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) to take up various socio-economic activities.
With a humble beginning in 2001, Mission Shakti has evolved as a full-fledged Department of the State Government, endeavouring to provide sustainable livelihood support to women SHGs with a view to enable them to generate long-term and sustainable income.
The Members of Mission Shaktis SHGs today are Shepreneurs – running small to medium-scale businesses, generating profits, employment and happy customers. A case in point is the Mission Shakti Cafes of Sundergarh, which are catering to the culinary needs of all segments of society.
All this has been possible with the direct support and supervision of the district administration and Mission Shakti Department, the Women SHG Members running the unit said. Be it Ragi Upma, Dosa, Alu Chops, and Vadas for a king-like breakfast or a sumptuous lunch comprising vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian delicacies, you get it all here.
“The quality of food, hygiene, quick service and behaviour of the employees is so affable, we feel like having food at a fine-dine restaurant,” some of the happy customers of Sundergarh’s Mission Shakti Cafe said. This is a novel initiative which is going to revolutionise the food business, where women (once housewives), take the charge, they added.
Locals, office goers, employees of private firms, bankers, students and youths, and people from all walks of life and age groups can be seen at this joint relishing some or the other item from a very flexible menu. “The cleanliness is most appealing, apart from economical prices. We love hanging out at the Mission Shakti cafe,” a group of students said.
Earlier, these women were engaged in odd routine jobs. However, after getting proper training from the district administration, to run a cafe, the Women SHG members were engaged at the Mission Shakti cafe.
“We cook and serve healthy and tasty food to our customers. The taste is home-like, that is why we have many happy and loyal customers today,” said Nilima Kullu, a Women SHG member from the Kutra block of Sundergarh.
In 2021, Kuanrmunda block of the district witnessed the launch of a pilot project named ‘Utkal Kitchen. Buoyed with the success of this project, a total of 16 Mission Shakti Cafes were opened in as many blocks of the district.
The Women SHGs serve food at the Mission Shakti cafes, six days a week from 8 am to 6 pm. Today, in a couple of years, these units have turned out to be self-sustainable and are able to generate a steady source of income for the Women SHGs.
