Bijnor: The district administration has prepared a plan under Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM) to provide employment to nearly 20,000 rural women in Bijnor. As many as 2,255 groups have been formed for the purpose – of which 1,500 groups have already been provided funds. These women will initially be given the job of preparing mid-day meals in schools and stitching school uniforms, among others.
The aim of the scheme is to make women self-reliant. The scheme was launched in the state in 2011 but in Bijnor, it was first implemented in 2013. Earlier, only one block, out of 11, was selected for UPSRLM. Now, the scheme is being run in five blocks.
All these women groups have been trained to maintain records and run the group transparently. So far, these groups are working in making handicraft and handloom items, managing dairy, stitching cloths, farming, running beauty parlours and cottage industries, managing poultry farming, etc.
The tendency to work together in a group is fast increasing among women of Bijnor. Earlier, these women remained idle at home, but now they are keen to work in a group to earn and improve their living condition. For example, the Haunsala group of Jogirampura village in Najibabad are engaged in making handicraft products and their items fetch a good price. This group has also recently participated in a fair in Kerala where their products were well received.
Another such group, called Radha of Mandawali and Ambedkar villages, has purchased agriculture implements such as tractors and tillers to rent these out to needy farmers.
Giving details, deputy commissioner of UPSRLM, Anwar Sheikh, said, “There are over 2,250 groups in the district comprising around 20,000 women. Most of the groups have started their own work. The scheme aims at making women self-reliant and economically independent. In the first part of the scheme, a group of about 10 to 15 rural women is formed, and training is given to them on how the group is run and how other infrastructure is managed. The group is run on the pattern of a bank or company. Members of the group pool money to set up a fund, and after three months of forming the group, Rs 15,000 is given to the group by the government. After six months, Rs 50,000 is provided to respective groups for their work and cash credit limit (CCL) is issued by the bank so that they can take loans. These women are then given skill development training.”
“We are now planning to give work to these women under different government scheme. For example, currently, uniforms in primary and higher primary schools are supplied by various agencies. There are around 2.20 lakh students in these schools in the district. If uniforms are prepared by these groups, these women can get jobs and earn. Similarly, mid-day meal preparation and running of ration shops can also be done by these women groups,” said Anwar Sheikh.
Note: News shared for public awareness with reference from the information provided at online news portals.
