The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR, NOV 14, 2022
Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd. has launched ‘Project Hastakala’, an innovative economic upliftment programme for the women in Jhagarpur village in Rajagangapur tehsil of Sundargarh district in Odisha. Project Hastakala will impart the women of Jhagarpur with the knowledge and skilled application of the globally appreciated tie & dye batik art form. This project is being spearheaded by the R&R team of Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd. (DCBL) through collaboration with Kalayatan Institute of Art & Craft, Sundergarh, regarded as a pioneer in the region.
DCBL has been creating various livelihood generating activities for enhancing family income of peripheral communities. The R&R team of DCBL has identified a significant demand-supply gap in the area and the primary reason identified was a lack of skilled crafts persons. The programme will be rolled out in phases; with the first phase kickstarting through a pilot with around 33 women. The scale-up of the programme will be done through impartingtraining to additional 170 beneficiaries from peripheral communities with the target of providing a regular income of Rs. 8000 to Rs. 10000 to each.
Commenting on the initiative, Chetan Shrivastav, Executive Director, Unit Head-DCBL says, “Our vision is to create sustainable and scalable skilling programmes which create actual livelihood generation options for different segments of society. We are confident that Project Hastakala will bring some delight and cheer especially to the female youth in Jhagarpur village. It is one ofthose uniquemarket linkedinitiatives where earning and joy of art are intermingled and our legacy and heritage are given continuity. We have formed the Ujeevika Batik Producer Group and it is registered under the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) to give Project Hastakala the wings needed to sustain its flight.”
The much-awaited training programme was inaugurated by Chetan Shrivastav, Executive Director, Unit Head-DCBL and Samuel Toppo, District Programme Manager, Odisha Livelihood Mission a few days ago. The local administration continues to give its support and encouragement with Piyush Lohar, Block Development Officer, Rajgangpur; Keshab Chandra Jha, Deputy CEO, ORMAS recently visiting the center and lauding the efforts.
Going forward to make this initiative more inclusive and impactful Ujeevika Batika Producer group is now participating in the state level exhibition, Kalinga Bali Yatra Festival at Paradeep, which is being highly appreciated by the public.
DCBL believes that corporate progress needs to be in sync with the progress of its stakeholder communities. A host of initiatives have been continuing to be designed to create self-reliance amongst youth. The options are far ranging from so that the potential trainees can find the match for their interests and aptitude. Tailoring, beauty and wellness centres, CRM training, Health Assistant and Sales Assistant training courses are few examples of self-employment opportunities created for rural communities by DCBL.
