With an aim to empower the women living in the peripheral villages of Kalinganagar, the Tata Steel on Wednesday started an inter-village women self-help groups (SGH) competition. This is the fifth year the event is being organised.
The four-month-long event was inaugurated by noted social activist Namrata Chadha. HRM chief of the company Partha Sarathi Mishra was the guest of honour.
More than 800 women from 60 SHGs are participating in this year’s ‘Tejaswini’ competition. At the end, top three Tejaswinis will be rewarded for achieving excellence in their respective fields.
This programme has enabled the rural women to only sell their products in the local markets but also outside. They are now engaged in various income-generating activities like poultry farming, gardening, stone carving, Saura painting, garment making and in setting up of small industries like phenyl and pickle-making. Tata Steel Rural Development Society is not only facilitating credit linkages for the SHGs, but is also facilitating marketing of these products.