SHGs imparted training in mass cooking to meet CM’s breakfast scheme demand

RANIPET: Training for SHG members to cook for primary school children under the CM’s breakfast scheme, which starts on June 1, has picked up pace with two-day training sessions taking places in all the panchayat unions, sources said.

“Though SHG members are used to cooking for their families, this time they will have to cook for a minimum of around 20 children and hence they are being trained on the ingredients and measures to be adopted for this, said Ranipet Collector S Valarmathi.

Such training sessions have already been completed in Arakkonam and Sholingur blocks with 6 batches – each consisting of around 30 plus SHG members - being trained, according to Mahalir Thittam assistant project officer R Arun Kumar.

Revealing this to DT Next, he said “the government has already provided us with a list of the dishes to be cooked on each day and hence the SHG members are being trained in this exclusively. While the first day sessions comprise teaching and improving cooking skills, the second day is used to train them in maintaining accounts and how and from where the ingredients are to be procured.”

The district administration plans to train a total of 948 SHG members through 26 batches. The training booklet provided to the trainees includes a list of ingredients to cook breakfast for a minimum of 25 students.

The menu includes rice ghee uppuma, wheat rava uppuma, rava veg uppuma, semia veg uppuma, cholam veg uppuma, rava pongal, pongal, rava kesari, semia kesari and sambhar.

However, the actual menu would be released a day ahead of the scheme’s commencement, officials noted.

While the list includes rava, semia, pepper, curry leaves, green chillies, big onions, dhal salt and tomatoes and adds that for both uppuma types 2 cups of water should be used for one cup of semia or rava and that tomatoes should be used based on need.