The state capital of Madhya Pradesh is likely the first district in the country to introduce a product made by women self-help groups (SHGs) to the retail market.
On Wednesday, a gift hamper called "Sanskar" was launched at a celebration in Berasia, on the outskirts of Bhopal, consisting of a saree with zari work and matching jewellery and makeup for the upcoming "Karva Chauth" festival. Saroj Bai, a woman sanitation worker, launched the gift hamper, which cost INR 600, at a gathering attended by local MLA Vishnu Khatri.
On the occasion, sanitation workers were also honoured for their contributions to the Swachh initiative.
According to district collector Avinash Lavania, the Rural Livelihood Mission was inaugurated in Bhopal district in 2017 and 3,600 women self-help organisations with 36,000 members were formed as part of the mission. They have been producing gift hampers for several momentous events and have so far made a profit of INR 50 lakh this year. However, this is the first time a product (saree) made using SHGs has been introduced to the market. It was done on Valmiki Jayanti to recognise sanitation employees' efforts, with 250 of them receiving a hamper as a token of appreciation for their contributions to the Swachh initiative.
During the function, sanitation employees were given a health checkup and were complimented.
The sarees were obtained from Surat in Gujarat, according to the district panchayat, which has been important in providing raw material, branding, and marketing of items created by SHGs. Women in SHGs were trained procedures zari work on garments, and sarees with beautiful zari work were fashioned.
Considering women had a hard time finding jewellery and cosmetics that match their sarees, matching jewellery and cosmetics were included in the gift package with the saree.
The decision to produce a line of sarees with zari work was made since "zari and zardosi" work has long been a traditional female occupation in Bhopal, and it has also been designated as the city's specialty under the state government's "One district, one product" scheme.
According to Lavania, the decision was made to launch the product in the district's rural market so that their dependence on Bhopal city markets for their needs would gradually diminish.
Berasia also has a strong economy, so men will be eager to purchase the merchandise for their better halves on "Karva Chauth." He said that 50 gift hampers had already been sold before the launch.
