Once they were struggling to make the ends meet, but now they are empowered economically thanks to the Mission Shakti.
These minority community women have scripted their successful story and have become a role model for others by winning accolades not only in the district but also in other districts in the State and countries and abroad following their products have a great demand in and outside the country. Meet the successful minority community women of the Golarhat village under Derabish block.
The State Government sponsored ORMAS and Mission Shakti have empowered them and given them an identity with their works.
The women of Golarhat Muslim basti formed a SHG group “Utkal Grameen Producer Group” in 2017 November with the help of ORMAS. Later, they got skill development training from the District Industrial Centre (DIC) for making appliqués (locally called Chandua ).
They were provided financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh under the ORMAS for purchasing raw materials, tailoring machines, training and office furniture to start their Chandua preparation works.
They too got training under the Mission Shakti for making bed sheet ,embroidery ,patch work bedsheet, khadi handkerchief, embroidery based shawl, door and window screen, designed table cloth, embroidery saree, pillow cover, khadi bag and school bag etc.
Now, their handmade products have a great demand in Kerala, Uttar Pradesh , Gujurat, Vishakhapatanam, Jharkhand, Rajasthan ,Delhi, Puducherry and other parts across the country.
In the recent Covid-19 lockdown, they prepared masks and sold the product worth more than Rs 1 lakh in the district alone, informed president of the SHG group, Lesatun Bibi. They were getting orders from countries like Afghanistan , Soudi Arab and Kuwait too and sending their products to those countries, said group secretary Reshma Begum. Meanwhile, district Collector, Amrit Ruturaj, visited to the Golarhat –based Utkal Grameen Producer Group and praised the minority community women's efforts. Even, the Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik, in his tweet recently also lauded the women.