Port Blair, Mar 19: Jointly organized Village Level Awareness Programme of SHG/ JLG by Block, Directorate of Rural Development and Unnati at Guptapara with the support of NABARD for empowering women groups i.e. SHG, JLG, and SHG Federation on 17.03.2023 at Guptapara community hall. The meeting was attended by Block Development Officer, Directorate of Rural Development, Day-NRLM staff and Unnati office-bearers who explained about various self employment schemes i.e. Industry, KVIC, National Livestock Mission, PMMSY, and also JLG, SHG and SHG Federation.
The awareness camp also arranged interaction in which SHG actively took part and they expressed their serious concern for undertaking self employment activities and demanded to resolve the following issues for promotion of self-employment:
According to the availability of raw materials, they desired to have the following capacity building and skill up-gradation programme.
Food processing in coconut and marine based products.
Tailoring, fashion designing and sewing machine repairing bamboo craft, assured and regular marketing support, arrangement of raw materials at cheaper rate, capacity building and exposure visits for newly formed SHG federation office bearers, arrangement of sending SHG members to Coconut Development Board, Kochin for undergoing training on 21 items of coconut products by the Industry Department, supply of packing materials for food processing products as already by the Administration, common production center with food license to prepare food processing items as was made available earlier by NGO to prepare products by trainees who due to various reasons are not in a position to obtain food license. BDO assured his full support to women groups and suggested them for active involvement in Gram Sabha meetings where officials of line Department would enlighten them about various government schemes. He also assured coordination with all Departments for resolving the problems of women groups in carrying out their self employment activities.
DRD and DAY-NRLM staff also actively participated and interacted with the participants.
President Unnati also explained about PMMSY, centrally sponsored schemes of the fisheries sector. Moreover, A&N Islands has been declared as a thrust area for development of the fishery sector in GOI’s scheme of “one district one product”. The participants were also explained about National Livestock mission programmes of GOI and urged SHG to adopt milch cattle, goatery, piggery and poultry farming activities for which a huge subsidy is available. He also mentioned that effective implementation of various self employment programme blocks needs to be provided to 08 subject matter specialists of extension officers as provisioned in the Block manual.
The success in organizing awareness camps and attendance of SHG in good numbers goes to Block and Rural Development staff.
