A Two-Day National Workshop on 'Innovative Approaches Towards Urban Poverty Alleviation' was held at Ernakulam on 23 & 24 June 2023. Shri. M. B Rajesh, Minister, Local Self Government Department and Excise, Government of Kerala inaugurated the Two-Day National Workshop and delivered the keynote address at Adlux Convention Centre, Angamaly, Ernakulam on 23 June 2023. The Minister said that this National Workshop would give a proper direction and new inspiration for NULM when we are going ahead. The Minister said that DAY-NULM in Kerala has been able to reach out to the significant section of urban poor. The state maintained consistency in the performance of implementing NULM. Kerala has been maintaining very good performance in SPARK Ranking for the last 6 years. He added.

Shri Rahul Kapoor, Joint Secretary & Mission Director, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission & PM SVANidhi made a presentation on 'DAY-NULM with a focus on NULM and way forward'. He said that we were waiting expectantly for what is going to be the future of NULM. He added that NULM and PM SVANidhi are two of the schemes that focus on the social aspect of urban areas under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, that look at the softer elements or softer aspects of improving the lives of the people, especially the vulnerable and directly connecting with them. NULM has its own shades of success and challenges and there is still scope of improvement. A collaborative approach of Government, Industry, Civil Society and Knowledge Partners is needed to address these challenges. So as we move forward to the closure of NULM 1.0, and as we think of the way this mission needs to be redesigned or restructured or the way we look at urban poverty alleviation is that probably we should look at things from a newer level. He added.

Ms. Sarada Muraleedharan, Additional Chief Secretary, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala made a presentation on 'Poverty Eradication & Women'. Ms. Anu Kumari, Executive Director (In-Charge), Kudumbashree and Shri. Sajith Sukumaran, COO, Kudumbashree NRO jointly made a presentation on 'Envisioning Kudumbashree as an Urban NRO'.

The states which have received SPARK Award for the Best Implementation of NULM were felicitated at the function. The SPARK Awards for the financial year 2021-22 (1st Rank-Andhra Pradesh, 2nd Rank-Kerala, 3rd Rank-Tamil Nadu) and NER & Himalayan States for the financial year 2021-22 (1st Rank-Mizoram,2nd Rank-Himachal Pradesh, 3rd Rank-Uttarakhand) and the SPARK Awards for the financial year 2022-23 (1st Rank-Gujarat, 2nd Rank-Kerala, 3rd Rank-Uttarakhand) and NER & Himalayan States for the financial year 2022-23 (1st Rank-Mizoram, 2nd Rank-Himachal Pradesh, 3rd Rank-Tripura) were also given away at the function.

'Compendium of 50 Case Studies of Urban Micro Enterprises' was launched at the function. U- Learn 2.0 (Urban Livelihood e-Learning and Resource Network) application, an e-learning initiative with the objective of building capacities of DAY-NULM was also launched. A short film on DAY-NULM was also screened at the function. The Live Musical Choreograph depicting the saga of Kudumbashree, penned by Shri. Karivellur Murali, Poet and sung by Ms. Pushpavathy Poypadathu was performed by Kudumbashree NHG members. 

The National Workshop was jointly organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India and Kudumbashree.The objective of the National Workshop was to provide a robust platform for cross learning, i.e., to help to know and understand the Best Practices of the States and Union Territories implementing NULM, including Kerala. The National Workshop provided an opportunity to understand each other's challenges, field-level realities and complexities associated with implementing poverty eradication programmes in urban areas in each state and union territory.

There were Technical Sessions on the topics such as Infrastructure Development - Building a Path to Prosperity, Fostering Inclusive Urban Livelihoods: Building Bridges for All, Empowering Livelihoods through Technology, International Best Practices in Urban Poverty Reduction and Convergence for Inclusive Urban Livelihoods. 

During the Inaugural Session, Ms. Anu Kumari, Executive Director (In-Charge), Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering. Shri Rahul Kapoor, Joint Secretary & Mission Director, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission & PM SVANidhi, Ms. Sarada Muraleedharan, Additional Chief Secretary, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala, Dr Madhu Rani Teotia, Director, DAY- NULM, Ms. Shalini Pandey, Director, PM SVANidhi, Shri. M. Krishnadas, Chairman, Guruvayur Municipality and Chairman, Kerala Municipal Chairman's Chamber were present at the function. 

The two-day workshop was  attended by Mission Directors from the States where NULM is implemented and other officials. Theme stalls and product stalls were also set up as part of the programme. On the second day of the workshop, field visits were arranged to Guruvayoor Municipality, Kunnamkulam Municipality, Kochi Metro, Water Metro and Thrissur Corporation to learn the Best Practices of NULM in Kerala.

The team including Shri. Rahul Kapoor, Joint Secretary & Mission Director, DAY-NULM,  Dr Madhu Rani Teotia, Director, DAY- NULM, Ms. Shalini Pandey, Director, PM SVANidhi and other officials from the Ministry visited Kudumbashree Initiative for Business Solutions-KIBS at Kochi Metro & Water Metro. The team also paid a visit to Samridhi Hotel at Kochi Corporation run by Kudumbashree which serves affordable meals at Rs.10. The team made interactions with Shri. Loknath Behra, Managing Director, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd and Kudumbashree NHG members. 

Whereas the officials from other states visited the CLF activities and Convergences with the Urban Local Bodies at Thrissur Corporation and Women's Food Court, Thrissur, Harithakarmasena- Women Enterprises in Waste Management at Kunnamkulam Municipality, City Livelihood Centre through convergence with ULB and Tourism Department at Guruvayoor Municipality, Kudumbashree Premium Food Court.

Dr Madhu Rani Teotia, Director, DAY- NULM & Ms. Anu Kumari IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree delivered vote of thanks on behalf of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and Kudumbashree respectively. As a token of gratitude, the delegates were given 'Rain Makers' made by Tribal NHGs of Kudumbashree out of Bamboo.

Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission launched 'Manjalu Gramam' (Turmeric Village) at Thirunelly. Kudumbashree is giving new life to Kerala's own Wayanad Turmeric, which is in high demand in the world market, through Thirunelly Tribal Comprehensive Project. The 'Manjalu Gramam' project is being implemented in Thirunelly Panchayat under the leadership of Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission with the aim of providing an income source for the tribal women of the region. The project is being implemented under the auspices of Thirunelly Vandan Vikas Kendra, Thirunelly Tribal Comprehensive Development Project and Thirunelly Panchayath Kudumbashree CDS. As part of the project, turmeric will be cultivated in at least one acre of land in every ward of the panchayath. Thus Wayanad Turmeric cultivation is ensured in 15 acres of land.

 Ms. C. T  Valsala Kumari, Vice President, Thirunelly Panchayath  at a function organized at Chelur Nethaji Colony. Ms. Saumini. P, CDS Chairperson, Thirunelly Panchayath presided over the function and Shri. Balasubrahmanyan P. K. District  Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission delivered the keynote address. Shri. Sai Krishnan T. V, Project Coordinator,  Thirunelly Tribal Comprehensive Development welcomed the gathering and Ms. Rejina V.K, Ms. Saleena K.M, Assistant District Mission Coordinators, Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission delivered their felicitations. Ms. Rukkiya Sainuddin, Chairperson, Panchayath Welfare Standing Committee, Shri. Yedu Krishnan, Assistant Coordinator, Thirunelly Tribal Comprehensive Development Project, Farming Group members and NHG members also participated in the function.

Kudumbashree Malappuram District Mission launches 'Hridya' Programme for Palliative Care of Bedridden Patients. The project has been initiated to train 30,000 women in the district in palliative care for extending specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses like cancer and heart diseases. The project is being implemented under the name 'Hridya' in association with Malappuram Pain and Palliative Care.

The aim of the project is to enable at least one person in every household to provide palliative care and thereby impart psychological and physical support to a good percentage of bedridden people. As part of the implementation of the Hridya Programme, a workshop was organized on 2 June 2023 for Kudumbashree CDS Chairpersons, Social Development Sub-Committee Conveners, Community Counsellors, Block Coordinators and Snehitha staff.

In the first phase, palliative care training is imparted to three Resource Persons selected from all CDSs. The training is in a two month long certified course which is a combination of theory and practical classes. Those who are trained in this way will train the NHG team members in basic palliative care at CDS level.

Through the project, the district also aims to form a team of volunteers who provide palliative care. The approval of the District Planning Committee has also been received to implement the project with the cooperation of Local Self Government Institutions. Women members of Kudumbashree and those from the transgender community have the opportunity to receive training.  Through this programme, Kudumbashree Malappuram District Mission made a remarkable intervention in the field of palliative care.

The BUDS School Students of Thirunelly of Wayanad District of Kerala came up with a thought provoking gesture on Environment Day.  The 'buds' of Paradise Special School of Thirunelly have celebrated the first birthday of the five trees they planted during the Environment Day of 2022. They have proved that not only planting a sapling on Environment Day but also taking proper care of it and growing it into a tree and enjoying the shade of that tree is a different experience.

The celebration was marked by cutting a cake with the words 'First Birthday of the Shade Tree'. Shri. P. V Balakrishnan Balakrishnan President, Thirunelly Panchayath cut the cake and distributed it to the BUDS students. 38 students are studying in this school. 75 percent of these children are from Scheduled Tribes Community. The school has two teachers and assistants each. Agri Therapy Scheme is also being implemented in the school in a good way. This year alone, the smart people here have harvested 180 kg of tomatoes, 78 kg of eggplant, one and a half loads of spinach, 46 kg of green chillies, along with cauliflower and cabbage. Tapioca, banana, pumpkin and ash gourd have also been cultivated.

Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission has come up with an innovative scheme to fully support the farmers of Kasaragod district. The district is implementing 'One House One Agriculture Tool' scheme in association with the Kasaragod District Panchayath. This project is being implemented with the aim of promoting and spreading agriculture in the district. The objectives of the project are to provide necessary agricultural equipments to the farmers and to provide technical support for the same and to promote scientific farming methods. Strengthening of Farmer Facilitation Center or FFC under CDS is also a target.

So far, four tractors have been made available through the project. Tractors were given to Kudumbashree Pavizham Farming Group (Joint Liability Group) of Muliyar Panchayath, Cheruvathoor Panchayath CDS and Team Bedakam Agro Producer Company. These activities are part of the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) project. Kudumbashree carries out activities including locating beneficiaries, helping them with online registration and support in obtaining subsidy and extending them support. District Panchayath provides subsidy to consumers who are not getting subsidy through this scheme. So far Rs 40 lakhs have been made available in this way.

Harvesting machine, seedling planting machine, medicine spraying drone etc. will also be made available. Training will also be provided to understand the technology of these machines. As part of this, drone training will be given to ten women members of Kudumbashree by the end of August.

The 'Kalavara Nirakkal' (pantry filling) programme in connection with Arangu 2023 added more colour to the Festival. The 'Kalavara Nirakkal' programme intended to prepare food for more than 3,000 NHG members who flocked to the festival premises. 1000 kg of rice, 2500 kg of vegetables, 900 kg of spices, 25,000 coconuts and 5,000 packets of papads were brought to the pantry from various CDSs in the district.

The collected food items including fruits, vegetables and grains were handed over to the food committee under the leadership of Shri. K. R Ravi, Chairman, Pantry Committee and President, Ollukkara Block Panchayath. Dr Kavitha, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission received these resources on behalf of the Food Committee.

A National Seminar was organized on 'Development of Creativity and Women Empowerment'  in connection with Arangu 2023 Kudumbashree State Arts Festival at Hotel Dass Continental, Thrissur on 30 May 2023. Shri. M.K. Varghese, Mayor, Thrissur Corporation officially inaugurated the seminar. Ms. Latha Chandran, Vice President, District Panchayath, presided over the function. 

Dr. Monisha U, District Programme Manager, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission delivered the introductory lecture of the seminar. Dr M.A Sudheer, (Professor, Tamil Nadu Gandhigram Rural University) delivered the keynote address. Ms Deepa Nishanth, Dr. Rachitha Ravi, Dr. Sajitha Mathil presented papers in the Plenary Session chaired by Dr. M.A Sudheer. Following that Ms. Sudha K.P, Ms. Bindu, Ms. Shobana Thankappan, Ms. Jasmi Shameer and Ms. Aishabi, NHG members from various taluks of Thrissur shared their experiences of participating in 'Arangu' in the past. Dr. K.S Vasudevan summarized these experiences and spoke.

Dr. B. Sreejith presided over the next session. Dr Chinchu, Ms. Ashwini Ashok, Ms. Ramadevi M.V, Dr. Usha Devi, Ms. Reshmi Shemir, Ms. Divya, Ms. Savithri. V.L, Ms Bushara, Mr. Babu, Mr. Sam John, Ms. Sneha and Mr. Deepak Kumar presented the papers. Discussions were also held on this. Research students and social workers also became part of the discussion.

Dr. Kavitha A, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission Coordinator welcomed the gathering.  Dr. B. Sreejith gave the keynote presentation. Ms. Sindhu V, State Programme Manager, Kudumbashree, Ms. Shobana Thankappan and Ms. Lalitha extended their greetings. Shri. Nirmal M.C, Assistant District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission delivered the vote of thanks. At the closing ceremony, Dr. Kavitha presided over the function. Ms. Ramadevi and Ms. Ashwini Ashok were given awards for best theses. Ms. Sabira, Counsellor, Snehitha Dear delivered the vote of thanks.

The National Millet Conclave 2023 was held at Attappady, Palakkad from 26-28 May 2023. Shri. K. Krishnankutty, Minister for Electricity, Government of Kerala inaugurated the programme at Agali Attappady Camp Centre, Attappady, Palakkad on 26 May 2023. The three-day National Millet Conclave was organized under the leadership of Kudumbashree. 

The Minister said that better income generation should be ensured for the farmers who cultivate food grains including millets. He also said that necessary discussions should be held so that the farmers can get better market value for the products they produce. He added that there should be collective efforts to provide a better means of livelihood to the farmers, including those of Attappady, who are cultivating nutritious millets during the prevalence of lifestyle diseases. The Minister also presented Kudumbashree's gift to Ms. Nanchiyamma, recipient of the National Film Award for the Best Playback Singer and Kudumbashree NHG member.

Shri. N Shamsudheen, MLA, Mannarkkad Constituency presided over the inaugural function. He said in the presidential speech that Kudumbashree women have grown to take up everything from canteen catering enterprises to road construction contracts. He also said that the Millet Conclave organized by Kudumbashree to promote production and marketing of millets and provide livelihood will be the most significant step taken by Kudumbashree in this field.

Ms. K Binumol, President, District Panchayath, Palakkad released the book on the 'Indigenous Food Sovereignty in Attappady-Restoring Traditional Farming Systems, Protecting Agro Ecosystems and Regaining Health, Food and Nutritional Security' (Process Documentation and participatory evaluation of the Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) Activities in Attappady (2014-2022), prepared by S. Santhi by giving the same to Shri. Raman Wadhwa, Deputy Director, National Rural Livelihoods Mission. 

Around 2,000 people including representatives of various states, subject experts, people's representatives, farmers, Attappady Kudumbashree Joint Liability Groups, entrepreneurs and youth participated in the conclave. It was for the first time in the state that a Millet Conclave was organized in the Scheduled Tribes region. 

Currently, Attappady is the largest millet producing region in Kerala. A number of nutritious small grains such as ragi (finger millet), Chama (little millet), Varag (kodo millet), Kamp (pearl millet), maize and Thina (foxtail millet) etc are being produced in Attappady. The Millet Conclave was organized to bring attention to these millets and the value added products prepared from them, apart from Kerala, at the national level. Kudumbashree has decided to give special consideration to the activities required to increase the consumption of millets that are helpful for health in a situation where lifestyle diseases are prevalent. The cooperation of the Department of Agriculture was also ensured for this. Efforts are made to increase production by increasing consumption. In this way the farmers can also ensure an increase in income. It will also help in local economic development.

Ms. Maruthi Murugan, President, Block Panchayath, Attappady & Member, State Kudumbashree Governing Body welcomed the gathering. Shri. P Ramamurthy, President, Sholayur Grama Panchayath,  Ms. Jyothi Anil Kumar, President, Puthur Grama Panchayath, Shri. K K Mathew, Vice President, Attappady Block Panchayat,  Ms. Mini G Kurup, Member, Agali Grama Panchayath and Shri. K K Chandradas, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission gave away their felicitations. Shri. Jayaram Killi, National Mission Manager, Farm Livelihood and Shri. Tony Jose, National Mission Manager-Livelihood was also present at the function. Shri. B.S Manoj, Programme Officer, Tribal & Assistant Project Officer, Attappady Special Project, Kudumbashree delivered the vote of thanks. The Dance Performance based on Kudumbashree's Mudra Geetham was staged prior to the inaugural function. 

The National Millet Conclave was rich in presentations and seminars on topics ranging from production to marketing of small grains. The first was a presentation by Dr. Nirmala Kumari, former head of the Department of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, on emerging technology in the field of small grains production.

On the first day, 26 May 2023,  presentations were made on 'Various Scientific Ways to Increase Production of Small Grains' (Jacob Nellithanam, Chief Executive Officer, Farmers' Rights), 'Community Managed Seed Systems in Millets' (Bhagyalakshmi, Associate Director, Vazan), 'Livelihood Interventions of Kudumbashree and Attappady Special Project' (Sarada Muraleedharan, Additional Chief Secretary IAS, Local Self-Government Department) and 'Multi Cultivation in India's Tribal Areas-Lessons from Attappady' (SM Vijayanand, Former Chief Secretary).  Also a seminar was held on the Emerging Trends in Millet Eco System in which Mr. Raman Wadhwa, Deputy Director, National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and Ms. Shyama Jha, Founder, Millet Magic, Ms. Lata Sharma, Assistant Director,  Attappady Millet Village  participated and the same was followed by artistic performances.

On the second day,  Dr. S. Shanti, Freelance Ecologist and Environmental Educator led the presentations on 'Attappady The Land of Millets- Restoring Traditional Millets In Attappady'. Ms. Kaliyamma, Community Resource Person from Plamaram hamlet, Ms. Rajamma, Paraprofessional from Sambarkode hamlet, Ms. Usha, ParaProfessional Usha from Puthur hamlet also made presentations on the same topics.

Ms. Sharmila Oswal, Chief Executive Officer, Basilia Organics, Ms. Nikhila, Representative, VRUITTI and Mr. Ravindra Grover, Regional Coordinator, Harvest Plus Asia spoke at the seminar on 'Millets and Marketing Opportunities'. Mr. Tony Jose, National Mission Manager, NRLM, Mr. Jayaram Killy, National Mission Manager, NRLM, Mr. Rajas Shubro, GIZ Advisor  and Mr. Avinash Alok, GIZ Representative spoke in the seminar on 'Livelihood through Millets'.

Conclave delegates also experienced Attapady's 'Kambalam', which won the hearts of everyone, those who came from different states and different districts of Kerala by providing a new experience. Kambalam was organized on 27 May 2023 at Kalakkara hamlet of Sholayur Panchayath to introduce the traditional agricultural culture followed by the tribal community to the delegates who came to participate in the National Millet Conclave being conducted under the auspices of Kudumbashree at Agali Camp Centre in Attappady.

The conclave representatives went to the field along with the residents of the hamlet to celebrate the ceremony. The seeds of small grains like Ragi (finger millet), Chama (little millet), Thina (foxtail millet), Varag (kodo millet), Amara (Hyacinth Bean), Tuvara (Pigeon Pea) were mixed and sown on the plowed soil. Then they joined the residents of hamlet with unique dance moves. After spending about one and a half hours in the field,  and having traditional food everyone returned.

The National Millet Conclave was successfully concluded on 28 May 2023. It coincided with the International Year of Millets. Ms. Anu Kumari IAS,  Executive Director, Kudumbashree  inaugurated the closing session and Youth Gathering organized in connection with the National Millet Conclave. Dr. Joy Elamon, Director, KILA presided over the function.

 The Executive Director distributed the awards to those who passed the Beat Forest Officer examination in the PSC examination from the tribal community of Attappady, the animators who achieved excellent results, the Yuvashree Anakkal, Anashwara Abbannoor and Millennium Anavai teams who won first, second and third positions respectively in the Tribal Football League, the best players, and the Panchayat Committees which conducted the Football Mela in an excellent manner. Ms. Anu Kumari IAS, Executive Director also released a  book on Attapady's variety of flavors by giving the same to the Paraprofessionals of Attappady.

Dr. Shanti, Environment Activist and Teacher, Shri. Latheef, State Secretary, Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi, who provided the venue for the conclave and those who set up the best stalls in the exhibition and marketing stalls attached to the conclave were felicitated with awards. Shri. B. S Manoj, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree and Assistant Project Officer, Attappady Special Tribal Project welcomed the gathering and Shri. Prabhakaran, State Programme Manager, Kudumbashree delivered the vote of thanks. 

The Guruvayoor Municipality has set an example by integrating well with Kudumbashree in Guruvayoor, one of the major pilgrimage centres in Kerala. Guruvayoor Urban Livelihood Centre makes great intervention by providing 103 Kudumbashree members with livelihood opportunity. Under the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) implemented by Kudumbashree in Kerala, a Tourist Facilitation Centre has been started and a total of 103 Kudumbashree women have been provided with livelihood opportunities. Urban Livelihood Centres aim to create more employment opportunities in urban areas and help the urban poor earn a livelihood.

Based on the excellent performance of the Kudumbashree Urban Livelihood Centre, which is operating at Amenity Centre on the west side of the Guruvayoor Temple from November 2022, the Municipal Council has entrusted Kudumbashree with the management of the Tourist Facilitation Centre set on three floors with state-of-the-art systems. 50 Kudumbashree members have been provided employment through this Facilitation Centre in various fields such as Manager, Assistant Manager, Accountant, Receptionist, Housekeeping Staff and Food Court Staff. This Facilitation Centre has Kudumbashree's First Air Conditioned Premium Food Court in Kerala where 80 people can sit and eat at the same time, air conditioned hall where 200 people can hold trainings and meetings at the same time, mini conference hall, reading room and internet cafe etc with 24 hour service. A special package is also available for bulk bookings.

32 Kudumbashree women have already been provided direct employment in the areas of Manager, Accountant and Housekeeping Unit at the Urban Livelihood Centre and 21 women have already been provided employment through the Municipality's Multilevel Car Parking Complex taken over by the Urban Livelihood Centre and services in the areas of housekeeping and security in the Apartment Complex under Krishna Gardens Flat Owners Association.

The Tourist Facilitation Centre was inaugurated by Shri. N.K Akbar, MLA, Guruvayoor Constituency during a function organized on 24 May 2023. Shri. M. Krishnadas, Chairman, Guruvayoor Municipality presided over the function. Shri. Jahamgeer. S, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree conveyed his greetings and expressed his gratitude to Municipality for the excellent treatment given to Kudumbashree.

Kerala Chicken Poultry Processing Plant has been launched to boost Kudumbashree Kerala Chicken Project activities in the state. Shri. V. Sasi, MLA, Chirayinkeezhu Constituency inaugurated the plant which is located at Kadinamkulam of Thiruvananthapuram district. The plant is situated on four and a half acres in Channankara.

Kudumbashree is implementing the project in collaboration with the Department of Animal Welfare and KEPCO with the objectives of finding a solution to the high price of chicken meat, providing clean chicken meat to the consumers, ensuring regular income for the chicken farmers who are members of Kudumbashree, producing and distributing 50 percent of the broiler chicken market in the state itself. The activities are coordinated by the Kudumbashree Broiler Farmers Producer Company Limited.

The plant has the capacity to process 500 chickens per hour. After conducting ante-mortem inspection of the one and a half month old broiler chickens delivered here, only fully healthy chickens will be used for processing. Processing and further operations are carried out scientifically with the help of various machines in semi-automated poultry processing line with the help of overhead rail system. There is also an extensive cold storage facility for keeping poultry meat chilled.

The quality assured products will be marketed under the brand name 'Kudumbashree Kerala Chicken' through supermarkets in the first phase. Various value added products of poultry will be produced and a 'Meat On Wheels' mobile sales outlet will be started to make them available to the customers.

At present, chicken is supplied to all the 111 outlets operating in the state from farmers working under the Kerala Chicken Scheme. When the processing plant starts functioning, all the chickens required here will be procured from the same farmers.

Shri. Hari Prasad, President, Pothencode Block Panchayath  presided over the function. Dr. Sajeev Kumar. A, CEO, Kerala Chicken Broiler Farmers Producer Company Limited &  Programme Officer, Kudumbashree explained the project. Shri. N. Sasidharan Nair, Private Secretary to the Minister of Local Self-Government and Excise Department, Ms. Ajitha Ani, President, Kadinamkulam Grama Panchayath, Ms. Unaisa Ansari, Member Kaniyapuram Division District Panchayath, Ms. Sreekala. S, Chief Environmental Engineer, Dr. Beena Beevi, District Animal Husbandry Officer and Ms. Ruby Naushad, CDS Chairperson extended their greetings. Dr. B. Najeeb, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Thiruvananthapuram District Mission welcomed the gathering and Ms. Sachithra Babu, Director, KBFPCL, delivered the vote of thanks.