Tamil Nadu - Nagapattinam   

Good response to training in garment making

K. Subramanian

From girls and women in several tsunami-affected villages of Nagapattinam district

ENTHUSIASTIC LOT: Girls and women undergoing training at Velankanni in Nagapattinam district.

Nagapattinam: Girls and women from several tsunami-hit villages in the district evince keen interest in joining the four-months free training course in garment making offered by the Development Promotion Group (DPG), a Chennai-based NGO in association with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

The training programme was inaugurated recently by Miguel Perez Ludena, Economic Affairs Officer of UNESCAP, Bangkok, at Velankanni.

R. Bhakther Solomon, Chief Executive Officer, DPG, said on Sunday that it had been decided to train 50 to 100 girls and women from the tsunami-hit villages in garment making.

Thereafter, the DPG would identify a private company and establish in consultation with the UNESCAP, a garment production unit under the public private partnership scheme.

This unit would jointly be owned, managed and administered by a newly established private company along with the community with the back-up support from the DPG and the UNESCAP, he said.

Mr. Bhakther Solomon pointed out that the ultimate aim of the joint enterprise was to continuously provide training-cum-employment for about 50 to 100 girls or women or boys at a competitive market wages. The company named as "Rose Fashions and Designs" was now located in a rental building at Velankanni.

He said the DPG had identified the workers, the community (general public), the private entrepreneur and the DPG as the stakeholders in the proposed private company that would come into effect some time later this year.

During the initial period of training of four months, the DPG would manage the affairs and contribute from its own funds to run the training unit.

Stipend to be paid

The trainees would not be treated as employees. The DPG was planning to pay monthly stipend to the trainees to meet their travel expenditure.

The UNESCAP would contribute Rs.43 lakh and the DPG Rs.7 lakh for the project.

Though there might be some teething trouble in identifying the potential companies and also in finding the market outlets for the garments within 12 to 18 months, it is hoped that this enterprise would get stabilised when the private company comes up, he said.

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