Because of COVID-19 outbreak, making of facemasks has become a source of income generation for many. In this pursuit, the NTPC Talcher Kaniha has been working persistently to support women in villages around its station.
Partnering with various women self-help groups, NTPC Talcher Kaniha is now providing raw materials for stitching of masks which are then being procured by the station for distribution among various stakeholders. This effort is not only making masks more accessible for people in rural areas but also ensuring an effective means of livelihood for many.
Pushpalata Sahoo of the Mahamai SHG stitches around 300 masks every day, besides doing her household chores. In total, women from four SHGs have been supplied with cloth material to stitch 10,000 reusable cloth facemasks.
“With this lockdown, the usual stitching of ladies suits and blouses has stopped, so the sale of masks provides a stable source of income for me,” said Jashoswi Sahoo of the Maa Tulsi Self Help Group in Bhimkand. Sewing machines and all necessary trainings were also provided to the women by the NTPC under its Corporate Social Responsibility for women empowerment.
The station has distributed over 12,000 masks among contractual workers, sanitisation staff, villagers and other stakeholders and would continue to do so.
