CHITRADURGA: A group of women agricultural workers with the help of an NGO are earning handsome wages per month through a garment unit. The NGO MYRADA identified 60 illiterate rural women, formed a self help group and trained them in tailoring. Later with the help of the Power Grid Corporation of India, they set up a garment unit at Challakere.
The officials trained these women after reviewing their socio-economic status. These women now stitch 250 to 300 shirts per day. They use the advanced ‘Juki’ machines instead of local equipment. They do steam ironing, kaja-button work, power cutting and interlocking.
Thippuramma, supervisor of the unit, told Express on Monday that before getting trained at CEEDAR, she was a housewife and agricultural labourer earning meagre wages. She added that she was introduced to Sri Sharadamba Mahila Swa Shaya Sangha, an SHG that was supported by MYRADA, where she underwent a six-month tailoring course.
“The training there landed me a supervisor job in the textile unit run by our SHG. Previously we used local sewing machines. We could stitch a minimum number of shirts crudely but now we can stitch good quality ones using Juki machines,” she explained.
She said she wants to expand the unit and provide employment to around 150 workers.
District project officer of MYRADA Vijayakumar said the training is to motivate people to stop migration. “We are providing tailoring training to the women who will in turn be absorbed by the garment unit. This has not only assured them incomes but also made these women independent,” he added. He also said that there were no absentees during the training programme.
Kumar said the garment unit plans to get orders from Bangalore and around the country. “Before setting up this unit, these women didn’t have a secure income. Now they earn Rs 2,000 to 4,000 monthly,” he added.