Women join hands

June 7, 2002

Women join hands to make sauce
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Shimla
This is a story of the first women cooperative society in Himachal Pradesh. It has changed the lives of women in Changar and Bhatiyat areas in Kangra and Chamba districts.

This cooperative society, was established in 1995 with the support of the Indo-German Changar Eco-development project.

The society is operating at Thakurdwara near Palampur in Kangra district.

Inputs apart from technical guidance worth about Rs 10 lakh were provided by the project to the cooperative society for creating the infrastructure required for its functioning. The project involved two voluntary organisations under the eco-income generation programme. These were—New Hope of Kangra and the Himalaya Bachao Samiti of Chamba. These NGOs helped the women groups in conceiving Samridhi.

The Changar and Bhatiyat regions have fruit trees in mixed forests. These trees have been supporting nutritional, medicinal and fodder needs of the local. The fruit trees include amla, bil, mango, dheiun, harad, behera etc.

The Indo-German Changar Eco-Development Project identified the surplus fruit of the area that having an income generation potential. The women were involved in the cooperative belong to the weaker sections of the society.

The women bring in fresh and graded hand picked wild fruit process those at their production centres Then the fruit is taken to the apex unit at Thakurdwara.

The products being made by Samridhi include chutneys of amla and mango, pickles of mango, dhiun, garlic-gandhiali, green chillies, amla, garlic and sweetlime. Even candies of amla, citrus and ginger are being produced.

In the year 1995-96 the number of women members were only 16 and the production was 375 kg. During the year 2000-2001 the production of the society touched 28,000 kg. While the number of women members rose from 16 to 182. Today the number of women production groups has enhanced to 15. The wages earned by the members of the society stand at Rs 4,35,103 during the current year.

The products are marketed under the brand name of Changar. The cooperative is setting up literacy centres. Each group runs a savings and credit scheme and the member's social security through insurance cover is being negotiated.