The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
BALASORE, DEC 28, 2021
One of the major barriers faced by women belonging to the marginal communities in rural areas is to pursue an income generating activity. Prompted by the need to overcome this barrier, TP Northern Odisha Distribution Ltd (TPNODL) imparted training to over 500 women self-help groups (SHGs) in meter reading, billing and collection activities (MBC) in Udala, Baripada and Rairangpur Electrical Divisions under Baripada Circle; and Keonjhar, Anandpur and Joda Electrical Divisions under Keonjhar Circle.
The session witnessed an encouraging participation from women members of the SHGs. So far, over 270 agreements have already been signed between TPNODL and the SHGs, thereby, enabling them to earn Rs 8,000-12,000 per month. This will not only streamline the revenue collection process but also help the women get livelihood opportunities in rural areas.
With a twin objective to empower women financially and create a livelihood opportunity for them, TPNODL, through this session, imparted detailed information on behavioral and technical aspects of the metering, billing and collection activities to the WSHGs who, can now effectively undertake these activities. The pre-agreement interaction also included explaining the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders, and process that is followed for agreement of WSHGs, and the daily activities to be performed by the them.
Speaking about this initiative, TPNODL CEO Bhaskar Sarkar said, “As a socially responsible organization, we always strive to support and empower WSHGs by providing them livelihood opportunities through our business value chain process. We will continue to create such opportunities for them through various CSR activities. We hope that the WSHGs be the drivers of change in their family and village. This training session is only a first step, which will go a long way in fostering financial independence and social mobility of these women.”
