The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Sri Soudamman SHG women ‘stitching’ success

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 27, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Sri Soudamman SHG women ‘stitching’ success

R. Vimal Kumar

– Photo: M.Balaji

Proficient: The stitching unit operated by Sri Sowdamman Women SHG in Tirupur.

Tirupur: Members of Sri Soudamman Women Self-Help Group here are elated as the group bagged the state-level ‘Best Self-Help Group’ award instituted by Repco Bank, under the Union Home Ministry, for its entrepreneurial prowess and for generating employment for youth.

The SHG president, N. Ramathal (31), received the award from the Union Minister for Home Affairs P. Chidambaram at the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Repco Bank held in Chennai a few days ago.

Group formation

Repco Bank sources told The Hindu that the group was chosen for the award this year from among the 18,000 such groups formed across the state under the ambit of Repco Foundation for Micro Credit, a body under Repco Bank with an aim to increase the income level of women.

The group, comprising 14 members, started functioning in 2008 and now successfully operates a stitching unit with 20 power-driven sewing machines and also is involved in allied activities that constitute the manufacturing chain in the textile sector at Kuthuspuram in the city.

Allied activities carried out by the group members include production and sale of ‘cone yarn’, labelling and sale of waste material generated out of the stitching process.

Ms. Ramathal said that the group’s ventures had started flourishing once they obtained first set of credit from Repco Bank earlier this year.

“With the Rs 60,000 received as first instalment of loans, a few more sewing machines were purchased for the stitching unit helping us to take big stitching orders from apparel companies and augmented the ‘cone yarn’ sales,” she said.

Next set of loans

The group is now set to receive the second set of loan worth Rs 3.5 lakh from the Repco Bank within the next few days. “We are planning to expand our business further with the receipt of amount by adding many more sewing machines and increase ‘cone yarn’ production,” Ms Ramathal said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu