Women micro-entrepreneurs break free from poverty in Punjab

Bhagwanpura: Eleven years ago, Charanjit Kaur, then a landless labourer aged 35, was getting increasingly frustrated.
With three children to support, she and her husband laboured tirelessly each day doing odd jobs on daily wages but still found it hard to make ends meet. The situation was so bad that she would be desperate to even have a 100-rupee note in her hand, revealed Charanjit, a resident of Bhagwanpura village in Ludhiana district.  Desperate to provide a better future for her children, Charanjit approached some other women in her village facing similar difficulty and decided to set up her own enterprise. They formed Guru Arjan Dev Ji self-help group by taking a loan from the Oriental Bank of Commerce. Then, they converted a room at Charanjit’s house into their workplace, bought a sewing machine, and set to work.  Jaswinder Kaur, a member of the self-help group (SHG), said that initially they had about six members and started sewing ‘pallis’ (synthetic covers used for agricultural and domestic purposes) and other types of bags. She informed that the earnings remained meagre at the start owing to the loan they had to pay off. When they approached the bank for a second loan soon after the project started, their request was declined, she informed. They soon learnt that they could seek training from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) of the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) set up in the nearby Samrala town. They enrolled themselves in stitching and embroidery course to enhance their skills and with the help of KVK, they started showcasing their products at exhibitions and kisan melas (farmer fairs) organised by PAU.  They expanded their product range to include quilts, cushions, purses, curtains, interior decorative articles, mosquito nets, gloves, bed sheets, and covers for washing machine and cars.
They also started making a variety of bags — school bags, carry bags, backpacks, trolley bags, travel bags and jute bags.  The group has 10 members, Charanjit said, adding that the demand for their products increased after they started showcasing them at exhibitions and other fairs. They started getting bulk orders from some firms, factories and government departments, especially for gift bags and luggage bags.