The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
RAJGANGPUR, FEB 24, 2023
Project Hastakala, a unique ‘earning with joy’ market linked skill development programme and an economic development programme for SHG women of Jhagarpur and katang Gram Panchayat started by Dalmia Cement Bharat Ltd.(DCBL), a subsidiary of Dalmia Bharat Ltd, has witnessed success within three months of its launch.
Around 90 SHG women are being trained in the unique tie & dye batik products and have started retailing products all over India through participation into several exhibitions including Saras Aajeevika Mela in Noida and SARAS Mela in Rourkela along with sale from e-Commerce platforms like Flipkart. Products worth Rs. 2.5 lakh have been sold.
The R&R team of DCBL had identified a significant demand-supply gap for Batik products in the area and the primary reason identified was a lack of skilled crafts persons. The current programme will be scaled-up to add 120 beneficiaries from peripheral communities with the target of providing a regular income of Rs. 8000 to Rs. 10000 to each beneficiary. To ensure the sustainability of the project, Dalmia Cement formed 3 producer groups i.e. “Ujeevika” , “Aakruti”, and “Unnati” and all are registered under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME). The women are now trained to design handcrafted products like bedsheets, dress pieces, scarves, dupattas, stoles, handkerchiefs etc.
“There was a high demand in the market for Batik print products, but due to low production, the requirement could not be catered. We saw this as an exciting prospect to build self-employment options for women in surrounding villages near our unit. Project Hastakala is an innovative way of earning with joy and provides a creative alternative for income generation. So far, the range of handmade Batik products has received excellent response in terms of demand from various exhibitions. We are hopeful Project Hastakala will continue to flourish and encourage many women to participate in future,” said Chetan Shrivastav, Executive Director, DCBL and Unit Head-Rajgangpur.
