Women’s self-help groups to supply snacks to govt offices

GURUGRAM: From now on, the self-help groups (

SHGs

) of Chandu village will supply

snacks

and drinks to government offices, especially for official meetings, in the

district

.

The

women

will also get space in district hospitals and academic institutions to sell their products.

The head of these SHGs, Puja Sharma, met RK Singh, additional deputy commissioner, and Rajesh Gupta, project officer, rural development department, with the proposal to which both agreed.

Singh told TOI, “The SHGs of Chandu village have a good track record. So when Puja Sharma came to us with a request to grant them the refreshments orders, I agreed. The state government is committed to empowering rural women working with SHGs.”

Gupta said that he was talking to the Civil hospital and SHT University authorities to make space for the women on their premises.

Dipti Chaudhary, district manager, National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), said that the after the number of SHGs in Chandu village rose to eight, they had been clubbed to form a village organisation called ‘Kshitiz’ and each SHG was now eligible to get Rs 50,000 funding.

Pooja Sharma, a resident of the village and head of ‘Kshitiz’, is the inspiration behind the exponential growth of SHGs in the village.

She said, “I have three children and my husband has an unsteady job, so I decided to start an SHG in 2013 to support my family. Despite discouraging remarks of some villagers, such as ‘houses do not run on women’s income’, I continued working hard. I cleaned an old ancestral house, which was deserted and known as a ‘

ghost

house’, and set up a kitchen where roasted snacks were prepared.” She said that initially, she was able to get hold of 10 women from the village but when awards started coming her way, many more joined her and the number swelled to 50.

She said that till now, the women had been selling their products in fairs organised by the state.

However now, they were keen to expand, involve more women and earn better. The new deal is a step towards turning that ambition into reality.