UDUPI: People are busy nowadays and they cannot find time to search for various products essentially needed in households. However, if organic, homemade, top-quality products are available under one roof, it will attract many.
A women-led supermarket ‘Sanjeevini’ was inaugurated on the taluk panchayat premises in Udupi on Monday. Introduced under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), this supermarket, spread across 500 sqft, will sell handmade bags, cane baskets, wall paintings, GI-tagged sarees, earthen pots, organic rice, soap, oil, homemade chocolates and many more products.
Self-help group members are also engaged in producing candles, key chains, door mats, organic jaggery, phenyl, detergents, cow-based byproducts, health drinks and other food items. One self-help group from Hebri will supply ‘Hebri Honey’ to the supermarket.
There are 7,623 self-help groups in the district with over 85,000 members making such products. Now, this supermarket will act as a platform to merchandise its products. Self-help groups affiliated to the gram panchayat-level federation (GPLF) in 155-gram panchayats utilised the community investment fund (CIF) of Rs 30 crore and started various business ventures.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) will assist in this initiative with Rs 15,000 (of this Rs 10,000 for rent) a month to the Samruddhi self-help group which will run the supermarket.
After inaugurating the supermarket, Udupi district in-charge Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar said she is impressed by the spirit of the women who will run the facility.