SAMBALPUR: In a bid to strengthen livelihood and augment income of women in the tribal-dominated Kuchinda sub-division, the Sambalpur administration has decided to set up an apparel manufacturing unit at Ardabahal. The apparel unit will provide employment to rural women throughout the year. Over 500 women of 50 self-help groups (SHGs) of Kuchinda will be covered under the initiative.
The unit will be set up at an estimated cost of around Rs 2.79 crore under the Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI) of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
While the Centre will bear 90 per cent of the total cost, the State government will contribute the rest 10 per cent. The unit will be the first apparel factory to be set up under SFURTI in the State. Project director of DRDA Dilip Bala said on April 27, an MoU was signed between the Khadi and Village Industry Commission (KVIC) and Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) for setting up the unit.
“A suitable patch of land has been identified for the unit. We have already applied for requisition of the land to Kuchinda tehsildar. Work will start soon after we get possession of the land. The Odisha Small Industries Corporation (OSIC) will carry out the construction work of the unit,” Bala added. Official sources informed that at least 250 industrial sewing machines will be installed in the apparel factory.
Ujjwala Apparel Trust has been formed to run and manage the unit. Each woman employed in the unit will earn not less than `8,000 per month. ORMAS will facilitate marketing of the apparels manufactured in the unit. A target has been set to make the unit operational by March 2023.