Pilot project in six districts; Raigarh becomes the first to begin production
‘Ready-to-Eat will give new dimensions to women’s progress and children’s health,’ says CM Vishnu Deo Sai
CM Sai had handed over contract letters to 10 women SHGs
Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary inaugurates the Ready-to-Eat unit in Kotarlia
Raipur : Under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, the Chhattisgarh government has translated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guarantee into action by once again entrusting women self-help groups (SHGs) with the task of preparing the supplementary nutrition diet, “Ready-to-Eat.” The initiative has been rolled out from Raigarh district. Recently, CM Sai handed over contract letters to 10 women SHGs in Raigarh. Following the installation of machines at a rapid pace, production has now commenced at Kotarlia gram panchayat in Raigarh district.
CM Sai said the initiative would not only make women economically self-reliant but also ensure the supply of quality nutritious food to anganwadi children. He added that the nationwide target is to create three crore “Lakhpati Didis,” and Chhattisgarh is moving swiftly in that direction. Raigarh has emerged as the lead district in this campaign.
On Independence Day, Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary inaugurated the “Ready-to-Eat” production unit in Kotarlia village. He personally operated the machines to inspect the production process and instructed women to maintain quality standards. Choudhary said the initiative, starting from Raigarh, would soon be implemented across all districts of the state and would serve as an inspiring model for Chhattisgarh.
It is noteworthy that Raigarh district has a total of 2,709 anganwadi centres. Ten SHGs have been selected to supply to these centres. These groups are also being provided with capital subsidy under the Prime Minister’s Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme. Projects under Raigarh Urban, Raigarh Rural, Pusaur, Kharsia, Gharghoda, Tamnar, Lailunga, Mukdega, Dharamjaigarh and Kapu blocks have been selected, and these SHGs will soon start “Ready-to-Eat” production. For now, operations have begun from Kotarlia.
It is significant that under the leadership of CM Vishnu Deo Sai, the mission for women’s empowerment and malnutrition eradication is being implemented in the first phase as a pilot project in six districts—Bastar, Dantewada, Balodabazar, Korba, Raigarh and Surajpur. Among these, Raigarh has become the first district in the state where women’s groups have started “Ready-to-Eat” production. The initiative is set to provide a new direction to both women’s economic prosperity and children’s health.