Massive orientation programme for SHG members involved in Aahaar
Bhubaneswar(Kalinga Voice) : Bhubaneswar/ Kalinga Voice: AAHHAR, a social welfare scheme launched by Govt. of Odisha has now reached new heights with Mission Shakti SHGs emerging as partners in running all163 Aahaar Kendras across 114 Urban Local Bodies in the state. A Virtual Orientation program for members of Mission Shakti Groups was organised by Housing and UD Deptt on how to look after the effective functioning of Aahaar Kendras.yesterday.Around 1700 Mission Shakti Group members across 163 Aahaar Kendras participated in one of the largest ever Training Programme that primarily aimed at increasing awareness and ownership of the Groups in running the Aahaar programme for the benefit of poor and needy. It is important to add here Aahaar programme was launched by CM of Odisha on 1st April, 2015 with the vision of providing hot cooked meals to the poor and needy at the subsidized rate of Rs 5/- per meal and since then, the program has served 10.5 crore of meals i.e Rice and Dalma, largely to the poor and needy people across the state. It is extremely important to add here that during the recent Corona Pandemic, Aahaar programme played a most critical role of saving the life of thousands of people through Day and Night meals as the livelihood of the people was devastated and they had hardly anything left with them for survival.
Currently more than 1 Lakh meals are provided per day across 163 AahaarKendrasin the state and in line with the mandate for excellence, all AahaarKendras and Central kitchens have been made ISO certified to keep pressing for quality in delivery of services and win the trust of citizens especially the poor and needy who throng to the Aahaar Kendra daily to geta good meal to satisfy their hunger. Indeed the initiative has become a source of hope for many and a point of replication for many states.It is hoped that theAahaar Programme would play a role in transforming the life of the poor and vulnerable women across Odisha through providing a secured source of income for better livelihood in the future.
Keeping in view the gravity of the Orientation programme, H&UD Department’s Principal Secretary Sri. G. MathiVathanan, Director of Municipal Administration Sri Sangramjit Nayak, and Additional Director of State Urban Development Agency (SUDA) Sri Sarada Prasad Panda addressed and inspired the members of Mission Shakti SHGs to continue striving forward in their effort to serve the poor and needy as part of their role in nation-building .
