6 disabled men from Una start canteen at Himachal Pradesh government office

Six disabled youngsters from Una in Himachal Pradesh have set up a canteen, with the support of the local district administration. The canteen is in the campus of the Mini-Secretariat in Una. The profits will be shared by the young men.

Out of the six men, two are deaf, two are blind, while the rest have mobility impairment. The canteen is the brainchild of the District Collector, Vikas Labroo. Labroo says he believes in empowering disabled people, and not merely provide them with grants.

The idea of starting a canteen had been in the works for a while. Labroo consulted Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who gave a go ahead for the project.

Manoj Kumar, who is blind, is a cook at the canteen. He is happy that he has a regular livelihood. All the six disabled men here underwent training at the Indian Hotel Management Institute in Kufri. A 45-day course in catering, food and beverage preparation, and housekeeping was given to them.