Kochi Corporation will set up a central kitchen at Manappatti Parambu with Rs 3 crore in corporate social responsibility support from Federal Bank, a move intended to expand Samridhi@Kochi and increase the reach of low-cost meals through Indira Canteens.
Mayor V K Minimol announced the plan while presiding over the fifth anniversary celebration of Samridhi. She said the corporation would establish the facility in Ernakulam to increase food production and distribution capacity and deliver meals to more people at a low cost.
Federal Bank has agreed to provide the Rs 3 crore CSR grant for the project. The announcement did not specify the construction schedule, the proposed capacity of the kitchen, or the operating arrangement between the corporation, Samridhi and the bank.
Samridhi began on October 7, 2021, as a collective of 14 Kudumbashree women during the tenure of former mayor M Anilkumar. According to the corporation, the enterprise has since grown to provide employment to more than 300 people.
The central kitchen is also expected to support the expansion of the Indira Canteen service, which was started as part of Samridhi. The service aims to provide three meals a day for a total of Rs 50. The mayor said Kochi was the first location to realise the Indira Canteen model called for by the state government.
Minimol said the new facility would enable Indira Canteens to become operational in more local bodies in nearby areas. She linked the expansion to the wider objective of making affordable food available and achieving a hunger-free Kerala.
The proposal places a municipal food service at the intersection of welfare delivery, local employment and institutional infrastructure. A centralised production facility could allow food preparation and distribution to be organised at a larger scale, although the corporation has not yet released details about the kitchen’s design, staffing, procurement or quality-control systems.
Hibi Eden, MP, inaugurated the fifth anniversary celebration, while T J Vinod, MLA, delivered the keynote address. Eden said the model project, which provides food at low cost while creating employment, should become more people-oriented. Actor Rima Kallingal, the special guest, described Samridhi’s activities as an exemplary enterprise.
The anniversary programme also saw the launch of new software and a website for Samridhi. Twenty-one women employees who completed five years of service were felicitated. Deputy Mayor V R Sudheer, corporation standing committee chairpersons, Kudumbashree east CDS president Anitha Jyothi, Kudumbashree members, Samridhi office-bearers and employees attended the event.
