Could an incongruity that has fascinated academicians for decades be addressed with food? Kerala is hoping so.
A state known for its progressiveness, Kerala has long harboured a paradox. It has India’s highest female literacy (92.7%) and, at the same time, among its worst female work participation rate (20.2%). Women, despite the state’s commitment towards social welfare, don’t form a major part of the workforce. Now, to remedy this finally, the Congress-led United Democratic Front government is trying to promote entrepreneurship among women.
The state government over time has drafted a number of plans to help women set up businesses. Key among them is “Food on Wheels”. Conceived by Gender Park, a semi-autonomous organisation under the state department of social justice, the project seeks to create a business ecosystem for women entrepreneurs to run mobile food units serving healthy food in cities and major towns across Kerala.
Food on Wheels will start around February 2016 with 2,500 trained women, says Gender Park CEO Dr TPM Sunish. The mobile units will be stationed near schools, colleges and government departments with a natural cuisine that is hygienic, less oily, fresh and mildly flavoured. To make sure the food served is clean, the project will comply with the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point standards, an international system that “helps food business operators look at how they handle food and introduces procedures to make sure the food is safe to eat”.
Already, a panel comprising doctors, nutritionists and chefs has been set up to draw up the menu. The food will be prepared at centralised kitchens and supplied to the mobile eateries as per their requirements. The project will be piloted in Thiruvananthapuram and then expanded to other cities.
Boosting nightlife
Sunish says the government will not provide any subsidy or financial assistance to the entrepreneurs since protectionism has retarded the growth of businesses in the past. Instead, its role will be confined to that of a facilitator. “We want the women to compete in the market and flourish.”
He explains that Food on Wheels will follow the financial model of SheTaxi, the successful commercial project introduced last year to provide “safe, secure and responsible” travel for women. Since its advent, the number of technology-enabled 24/7 women-only fleets in the state has grown from seven to 50. The women who own and operate the taxis earn about Rs 50,000 on average each month. Such has been the success of SheTaxi that the World Bank wants to adopt it in other South Asian nations.
For the mobile food units, Gender Park is planning to use battery-run vehicles. It says it is negotiating a deal with a company in Delhi to make these green vehicles available at a discounted price.
Besides schools and colleges, Food on Wheels will also serve specially designated Night Eatery Streets – meaning, the mobile eateries will line up at prime spots in cities to serve late diners from 7pm to 2 am. This will give a boost to the night life of the chosen cities and towns. The food will be spiced up with musical nights and cultural programmes by eminent and budding performers and artists. To start with, the government has approved Night Eatery Streets at Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
Along with business initiatives like Food on Wheels, Gender Park also wants to promote gender studies. The semi-autonomous organisation is planning to start a university on its Kozhikode campus which will focus on research-oriented gender studies. The proposed varsity will collaborate with a number of institutions abroad, including the London School of Economics. Gender Park says UN Women has expressed interest in a long-term tie-up.
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A state known for its progressiveness, Kerala has long harboured a paradox. It has India’s highest female literacy (92.7%) and, at the same time, among its worst female work participation rate (20.2%). Women, despite the state’s commitment towards social welfare, don’t form a major part of the workforce. Now, to remedy this finally, the Congress-led United Democratic Front government is trying to promote entrepreneurship among women.
The state government over time has drafted a number of plans to help women set up businesses. Key among them is “Food on Wheels”. Conceived by Gender Park, a semi-autonomous organisation under the state department of social justice, the project seeks to create a business ecosystem for women entrepreneurs to run mobile food units serving healthy food in cities and major towns across Kerala.
Food on Wheels will start around February 2016 with 2,500 trained women, says Gender Park CEO Dr TPM Sunish. The mobile units will be stationed near schools, colleges and government departments with a natural cuisine that is hygienic, less oily, fresh and mildly flavoured. To make sure the food served is clean, the project will comply with the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point standards, an international system that “helps food business operators look at how they handle food and introduces procedures to make sure the food is safe to eat”.
Already, a panel comprising doctors, nutritionists and chefs has been set up to draw up the menu. The food will be prepared at centralised kitchens and supplied to the mobile eateries as per their requirements. The project will be piloted in Thiruvananthapuram and then expanded to other cities.
Boosting nightlife
Sunish says the government will not provide any subsidy or financial assistance to the entrepreneurs since protectionism has retarded the growth of businesses in the past. Instead, its role will be confined to that of a facilitator. “We want the women to compete in the market and flourish.”
He explains that Food on Wheels will follow the financial model of SheTaxi, the successful commercial project introduced last year to provide “safe, secure and responsible” travel for women. Since its advent, the number of technology-enabled 24/7 women-only fleets in the state has grown from seven to 50. The women who own and operate the taxis earn about Rs 50,000 on average each month. Such has been the success of SheTaxi that the World Bank wants to adopt it in other South Asian nations.
For the mobile food units, Gender Park is planning to use battery-run vehicles. It says it is negotiating a deal with a company in Delhi to make these green vehicles available at a discounted price.
Besides schools and colleges, Food on Wheels will also serve specially designated Night Eatery Streets – meaning, the mobile eateries will line up at prime spots in cities to serve late diners from 7pm to 2 am. This will give a boost to the night life of the chosen cities and towns. The food will be spiced up with musical nights and cultural programmes by eminent and budding performers and artists. To start with, the government has approved Night Eatery Streets at Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
Along with business initiatives like Food on Wheels, Gender Park also wants to promote gender studies. The semi-autonomous organisation is planning to start a university on its Kozhikode campus which will focus on research-oriented gender studies. The proposed varsity will collaborate with a number of institutions abroad, including the London School of Economics. Gender Park says UN Women has expressed interest in a long-term tie-up.
