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Dalit entrepreneurs in Pune step forward to run kitchens for homeless
Of the 27 government shelters in Pune, DICCI has been providing breakfast, lunch, dinner to 10 shelters, besides running a kitchen for the resident doctors and paramedics at Sassoon
Milind Kamble, a self-made Dalit businessman, Padma Shri, and founder-chairman, Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), is the driving force behind a massive food supply operation to shelter homes in Pune.
This work has been taken up since March 27 in association with the College of Engineering Pune (COEP), 40 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and Dalit entrepreneurs.
They have been working closely with the district administration to distribute ration kits to daily wage labourers and other needy people and prepare and serve food to the homeless and street children.
Of the 27 government shelters in Pune, DICCI has been providing breakfast, lunch, dinner to 10 shelters, besides running a kitchen for the resident doctors and paramedics at Sassoon General Hospital- the main Covid-19 hospital in the city. As of Tuesday, Sassoon had 220 of the 900 odd Covid-19 positive patients at various hospitals in the city.
On Wednesday, at the 5,000 sq. ft. COEP mess, a group of 15 volunteers were working seamlessly while maintaining social distance and filling-up disposable containers with meals. It was close to noon and the pace of work had picked up, with each food parcel containing three chapattis, and a vegetable of the day.
“We have 500 lunch boxes to prepare today, which will be loaded and then distributed in various shelters,” said Anil Howale, in-charge of the distribution. That would mean 1,500 meals for the day, although the demand keeps varying, often on the higher side, he said.
Another team with volunteers Maitreyee Kamble and Kaustubh Howale was busy on the other side of the kitchen preparing ration kits for the poor, each one for a family of four with a week’s supply of essential grocery items. The volunteers used gloves, masks and a plastic cover for the head.
At the second kitchen set up at the Government Inspection Bungalow, near Residency Club, Chef Anthony Rafael was busy finalising lunch for 52 doctors. This kitchen takes care of their breakfast, lunch and dinner with nutritious items like eggs and leafy vegetables which insist upon.
Dr Mohsin Khan who works in “the main Covid building” of Sassoon Hospital said they were being served good simple meals and their request for a protein-rich diet with chicken, eggs and paneer, was met by the kitchen staff.
A civil engineer by qualification, Kamble runs his own construction firm and is the founder chairman of Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), established in 2005 to promote entrepreneurship among Dalits. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2013 for his pioneering work on Dalit entrepreneurship,
Kamble said he had been providing voluntary assistance during previous emergencies such as the 1993 Latur earthquake and the 2010 Swine Flu epidemic, among others.
“My day begins as early as 4 am,” he said and explained that he and fellow volunteers oversee the operations at the captive kitchens. “We have been organising breakfast, lunch and dinner for more than 600 people daily. So far, 10,000 ration kits have been supplied,” he said, adding that his wife and daughter have also joined him in this voluntary work.
