Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Hi-tech units for women soon

T. Nandakumar

Thirty units will be started in the initial phase

Thiruvananthapuram: The district panchayat is embarking on a project to establish a chain of hi-tech self-employment manufacturing units for women. Named "People," the project is expected to give a fillip to women's empowerment in the district.

The panchayat has tied up with the Kudumbasree Mission to set up the units, which will use modern technology sourced from Government research institutes. The Rs. 1.25-crore project will utilise 10 per cent of the annual Plan funds earmarked for women's empowerment. Of the outlay, Rs. 70 lakh will be spent on machinery. Thirty units will be started in the initial phase.

The district panchayat will facilitate technology support, packaging and marketing of the products made at these units. It has procured technology from the Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), Thiruvananthapuram, and the Kerala Agricultural University for manufacturing products such as pickles, cereals, diabetic food, tuber chips, toffees, weaning food for children and environment-friendly leaf plates.

District panchayat secretary V.S. Santhoshkumar said the products would be manufactured under stringent hygiene standards prescribed by the technology providers. The women would be required to wear uniforms, caps and gloves at the workplace.

The products would be nitrogen-packed at a centralised unit to be set up at the World Market, Anayara. Three-layer foil packing would help to increase their shelf life.

The panchayat has inked a contract with an agri-business firm to market the products for three years. The company has agreed to tap the export potential of some of them.

Every manufacturing unit will provide direct employment to 20 women. Each member will put in Rs. 5,000 as beneficiary share. Another Rs. 5,000 will be raised as loan from Kudumbasree. "We have asked the district-level bankers' committee to provide soft loan assistance to the units," Mr. Santhoshkumar said.

Under the proposal, the gram panchayats where the units are to be located will provide the space. They will also foot the power and water bills for the first six months.

A streamlined system has been envisaged for procurement of raw material. "Some of the materials can be directly procured from paddy and banana farms promoted by the district panchayat under the Kerala Development Programme. A cross procurement system is also being set up. For example, a unit making pickle can procure its raw material from another unit making chilli powder," Mr. Santhoshkumar said.

The manufacturing operations will be monitored by a team of supervisors who have received training at the CTCRI and the CFTRI. The supervisors, all postgraduate degree holders in home science, will be attached to the marketing company. They will train the women in manufacturing techniques.

A district-level organising committee chaired by the district panchayat president will chalk out an action plan and coordinate the activities of individual units. Each manufacturing unit will have a monitoring committee headed by the gram panchayat president. The project managers have opted for unconventional marketing methods such as stickers, notebook labels, street jathas, pamphlets and door-to-door campaign. The products will also be sold through a network of supermarkets to be set up by the panchayat for Kudumbasree products. Two such markets are scheduled to come up at Pattom and Kallambalam in the first phase.

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