SERP CEO Divya Devarajan Visits Indira Mahila Shakti Canteen at TGSPDCL Office

SERP CEO Divya Devarajan, IAS, visited the ‘Indira Mahila Shakti Canteen’ established at the TGSPDCL corporate office in Hyderabad and reviewed its operations, facilities and services being provided to employees.

During her visit, Devarajan inspected the canteen’s kitchen, dishwashing area and storeroom, besides checking the cleanliness standards and other facilities available on the premises. She appreciated the initiative taken by TGSPDCL CMD Jitesh V. Patil to support and empower women’s groups by providing them with an opportunity to run the canteen.

The SERP CEO interacted with the members of the women’s groups involved in managing the facility and gathered details about its day-to-day functioning. She enquired about the services being offered to employees, the daily and monthly business transactions, and the number of guests visiting the canteen.

Devarajan also sought information about the procurement of vegetables and other essential commodities required for the canteen. She discussed the purchasing process as well as the prices of various items to understand the business model and the operational challenges faced by the women’s groups.

During the interaction, she emphasised the need to strengthen the financial sustainability of the women’s groups associated with the initiative. She directed SERP officials to explore the possibility of conducting food safety training programmes for employees. Such training, she said, would help improve service standards while providing the women’s groups with additional opportunities to build their skills and strengthen their income-generating activities.

Devarajan also discussed the possibility of establishing a dedicated stall for Vijaya Dairy products at the canteen. She interacted with the women’s group members about the proposal and noted that selling dairy products could create an additional revenue stream for them.

The SERP CEO expressed satisfaction with the services being provided at the canteen and encouraged the women’s groups to continue maintaining quality and hygiene standards. As part of her visit, she personally ordered a cup of coffee and made the payment through a digital payment method, demonstrating support for the women-led initiative.

Her visit underlined the importance of initiatives such as Indira Mahila Shakti in promoting women’s economic participation and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities through community-based enterprises.