In the small Tamil Nadu village of Padavedu in the Tiruvannamalai district, numerous new self-help groups (SHGs) have formed during the past few years, with the majority of their membership being women. Rural women are being empowered by Srinivasan Services Trust (SST), the social service division of TVS Motor Company Ltd. and Sundaram Clayton Ltd. Numerous SHGs produce nightgowns, process honey and turmeric, weave baskets from banana fibre, and other items.
A total of 40,000 SHGs are run in Tamil Nadu alone. Such SHGs have provided educated women with a way out of abject poverty and a means of coping, particularly in the wake of Covid.
In MM Nagar, Chennai, Ganga (24), a BSc Chemistry graduate and current SHG member, worked in a chemical industry. She was made to move back home after losing her job as a result of Covid. She obtained an income of 8,000 per month after learning the craft of making baskets out of banana fibre.
Kalai, also 24, was working as a salesperson in a retail store in Chennai at a monthly salary of ₹12,000 till 2020. She voluntarily left her job to come back to Padavedu, feeling unfulfilled by her job. Though now she earns close to ₹8,000, relatively less, she believes she has made the right decision. “I like this job. I am learning and teaching other women as well. The cost of living is not high and this is sufficient. I am in my own village and closer to my people. Soon, we’ll expand this unit and ‘export’ our baskets worldwide,” she says, with glee in her eyes.
A 1.5 lakh loan from the Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project was made possible by SST (TNRTP). Currently, the loan amount is sufficient to cover the unit's operational expenses (machines, electricity bill, and fabric procurement). After paying their dues each month, the women in these SHGs earn 2,000 rupees each month through local sales. They intend to grow and eventually turn into a sizable garment manufacturer.
Outside of Vellore, the Javadhu hills are well-known for their honey. Venkatesa Perumal Tribal Women's SHG, a group of twelve tribal women in Shenbagathoppu village, collects raw honey from neighbourhood honey hunters. The honey is then boiled to 60 degrees, filtered to remove floating pollutants like pollen, bee stings, and dust, chilled, and kept in containers.
The Tribal Co-operative Marketing Federation of India (TRIFED), sensing potential, gave the women financial support in the amount of 50,500 in 2010 to teach them in packaging techniques. A year later, the Women's Development Corporation (WDC) provided further funding in the amount of Rs. 1.25 lakh for the purpose of enhancing the packing procedure. About 1.85 tonnes of honey are currently processed and sold throughout India by the Venkatesa Perumal SHG.
All of the goods produced by SHGs throughout India are now offered on the online e-commerce site Truly Cottage, which was established in 2021 with the goal of expanding the market and boosting sales. The same name is also used for a retail establishment in Tirumangalam, Chennai.
“Truly Cottage is the platform for propagating all the activities of the self-help groups. Whatever sales we make from the platform goes back to the self-help groups. We are seeing a huge demand for these authentic products. In the past year, close to ₹1 crore was generated from sale of SHG products. We want to take these products to Amazon and Flipkart. We also wish to strengthen our social media presence and reach more people. We want to expand in phases and I am planning to invest ₹50 lakh in such activities this year,” says Singh.
