The Hindu : Other States / Pondicherry News : NGO to promote 50 more SHGs in Pondicherry

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Saturday, Jul 02, 2005

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NGO to promote 50 more SHGs in Pondicherry

Special Correspondent

Mangalam Society seeks to encourage self-employment among women

PONDICHERRY: The Development Commissioner of Pondicherry, B.V. Selvaraj, said that the 11-year-old Mangalam Society — a non-governmental organisation promoting legal literacy and gender justice among women — would promote fifty more self-help groups (SHGs) to bring the total number of the units to 150 soon.

Certificates distributed

Distributing certificates to a batch of 25 women who had undergone the six-month special training in computer operation under a scheme of the Society here on Friday, he said the Department of Women and Child Development and the Mangalam society had together launched 300 SHGs in Pondicherry to promote self-employment activities among women and also habits of saving and thrift. These units had so far earned a profit of Rs. 3 crores through various economic activities.

In view of the success of the experiment and to infuse in women the concept of self-employment, he said that fifty more groups would be promoted soon.

Mr. Selvaraj said that the sales outlet under the banner `Pudhumai' was of help to rural artisans for selling their handicraft products. So far 1500 rural artisans were enabled to market their products through this outlet situated on the beach road.

Stating that computer literacy was necessary for women, the Development Commissioner said that the training was given to the girls through the Mangalam Institute of Information Technology, a unit of the Society. The Government would utilise the trainees to operate the computer labs situated in middle schools in villages so that rural women would also be exposed to the nuances of the computer. The labs in the schools would function from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and cover the women members in the area in addition to schoolchildren. This was part of the implementation of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (Education for All).

Standardisation of the products produced by the SHGs would also be taken up and a separate cooperative society would be started to sell them. The Mangalam Society would also start a news journal.

15,000 women covered

Earlier the secretary of the Society, Sivashanmugham, welcoming the gathering said that the Mangalam Society had through its legal literacy programmes covered more than 15,000 women in various parts of the villages in the Union Territory.

Director of Women and Child Development Devi Mathews, who spoke on the occasion, referred to the utility of the SHGs for women's empowerment and to infuse self-confidence in them.

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