Apparel unit run by women SHG begins production after revival

Daltonganj: Members of women self-help group at the Koyel Aajeevika Apparel Park located in the Chainpur block premises have started to manufacture inner wear since the revival of the facility last month. From Feb 6 onwards, they have manufactured 20,000 men’s inner wear. During the Covid-19 pandemic, SHG members here made masks. However, the apparel unit turned non-functional post the pandemic.

Palamu's deputy development commissioner (DDC) Jawed Hussain and district programme manager (DPM) of the Jharkhand State Livelihood Mission Society (JSLPS) Anita C Kerketta along with their team planned for revival of this unit. Hussain said, "Our Aajeevika Apparel Park is back to business after four years of shutdown. We are planning to expand its infrastructure in times to come."

Production manager Ashok Ghosh said, "We have 30 state-of-the-art sewing machines."

One member of the SHG here earns nearly Rs 6,000 a month. DPM Kerketta said that 60 women are working as sewing operators here. "We are planning to manufacture state govt school uniform soon, she added.

Palamu Zila Parishad signed an MoU with Leisure and Life Style Pvt Ltd for the production of stitched fabric for a period of 3 years in the year 2024-25. The Zila Parishad has rented out its Koyel Aajeevika Apparel Park for an annual rent of Rs 10 lakh to the firm.

Ghosh, however, cited electricity woes for seamless functioning. "Electricity supply hampers production. Most of the days power remains off for a minimum of 3 to 4 hours,” he said.

There is a backup generator, but it’s costly to run a 25 KV generator, which consumes six litres of fuel every hour, he added.