With the strength of twenty-five years of Kudumbashree experiences, NHG members came together and shared their experiences in the talk show 'Ormakalumayi Ithiri Neram' organized by the National Saras Mela being held at Kollam. They shared their experiences about the Kudumbashree that made them the person they are today.  They also shared inspirational stories of survival for the new generation.

Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree inaugurated the memory sharing session and gathering arranged for the early- former CDS Chairpersons of Kollam district on 1 May 2023. Former CDS Chairpersons described the difficulties they faced when they went out for NHG activities in the early days and were able to be a part of the activities that enable them to become a shade for poor families. More than two hundred former CDS Chairpersons participated in the meeting.

Before joining Kudumbashree, she had to ask her husband for money for anything, but after becoming an entrepreneur in Kudumbashree, she was able to earn her own income and from that day till now, she has been able to stand on her own feet, said Ms. Vasanthi, the eldest member who took part in the programme, CDS member and entrepreneur who hails from Trikadavoor. Her words were received by the audience with great applause. Ms. Hani, who was the former mayor of Kollam and the early CDS Chairperson, said that it was because of the strength given by Kudumbashree activities that she learned to get rid of the sense of inferiority given by poor living conditions and to identify himself, to ask for rights and even reach till the position of the Mayor of Kollam Corporation. 

 Ms. A. Ambika, Ms. Aruna Devi, Ms. Prasanna Kumari, Ms. Shirley Sathyadevan, Ms. Mini Jose Prakash and Ms. Shakuntala, Kudumbashree former CDS Chairpersons and later elected representatives in three-tier panchayat elections  participated in the programme and shared their Kudumbashree experience stories. Shri. Vimal Chandran, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Kollam District Mission welcomed the gathering and Ms. Beena R, District Programme Manager delivered the vote of thanks. 

Ms. J. Chinchurani, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development, Government of Kerala inaugurated the 'Saras Thadesha Sangamam' held on 1 May 2023. The Kudumbashree movement in Kerala is a model for the countries of the world through its systematic work at all three levels. The Minister said. By acting as a banking system, Kudumbashree has helped Kerala reach heights in economic, cultural and health sectors. She added. Performing art programs led by various CDSs and comedy show led by Shri. Guinness Pakru, Famous Film Star took place on 1 May 2023, the fifth day of the fair.

The Orchid NHG of Moopainad Panchayath of Wayanad district is proving by its own actions that garbage disposal is the responsibility of every citizen and they should not wait for anyone else to clean their house, surroundings and public spaces. They have compulsorily reserved one day in a week for cleaning Thalakkal town. They will start cleaning at 6 AM. All the plastic waste in Thalakkal town is collected, sorted and bagged and are handed over to Harithakarmasena.

They have also made Kudumbashree Balasabha members a part of the cleaning campaign. They have also installed boards in the town stating that legal action will be taken against  throwing garbage in public places. Also warning lights against littering are provided in all the shops in the town.

The National Saras Mela has been kickstarted at the Ashramam Ground, Kollam on 27 April 2023. Shri. M. B Rajesh, Minister, Local Self Government of Kerala inaugurated the Saras Mela and Ms. J. Chinchurani, Minister, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development, Government of Kerala presided over the function. Entry to the fair, which runs till May 07, is free.

In the inaugural speech, the Minister said that Kudumbashree is a great movement of women's power and the role of Kudumbashree in poverty alleviation is huge. In the presidential address, Ms. J. Chinchurani said that Kudumbashree has become the flag bearer of development and she pointed out that the role of Kudumbashree in economic and social empowerment is great.

Inauguration of the pavilion with 250 stalls lined up for display and sale of the products of rural entrepreneurs of India was done by Shri. Mukesh, MLA. Whereas, Ms. Prasanna Earnest, Mayor  inaugurated the food court with 30 stalls where one can experience the variety of flavors of different states of the country. Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering. Ms. Sharmila Mary Joseph IAS, Principal Secretary, Local Self-Government Department explained the programme. 

Shri. N.K. Premachandran MP, Shri. M. Naushad, MLA, Shri. Sujith Vijayan Pillai, MLA, Shri. P.K. Gopan, President, District Panchayath, Ms. Sreeja Harish, Vice President, District Panchayath, Shri. Kollam Madhu, Deputy Mayor, Shri. K. Harsha Kumar, President, Block Panchayath Association, Shri. C. Unnikrishnan, President, Grama Panchayat Association, Shri. S.R. Ramesh, Chairman, Kottarakkara Municipality, Ms Honey, Chairperson, Corporation Standing Committee, Ms. Afsana Parveen IAS, District Collector, Kollam, Shri. Mukund Thakur IAS, Sub Collector, Ms. S. Sajithanand, Councilor, Ms. Sindhu Vijayan, CDS Chairperson and Shri. R Vimal Chandran, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Kollam District Mission also participated in the function.  After the opening ceremony, musical programme led by Shri. Ritu Krishnan was also held.

Mega Thiruvathira

The Mega Thiruvathira presented by the Kudumbashree CDSs of Kollam district on the commencement of the National Saras Mela stand out unique. 7400 people from 74 CDSs of the district participated in Mega Thiruvathira. Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree inaugurated Mega Thiruvathira by lighting the lamp. The song composed for Thiruvathira was full of historical passages of 25 years to mark the silver jubilee of Kudumbashree. The song was composed by Ajitha, a native of Kadakkal and a Kudumbashree member.

After Kochi Rail Metro, Kudumbashree's female power is also extending services in Kochi Water Metro, which is writing a new history of development in the field of public transport in Kerala. 30 Kudumbashree women have been appointed for housekeeping and ticketing jobs in Kochi Water Metro. Kudumbashree achieved another proud achievement on 25 April 2023 when Shri. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India dedicated the water metro connecting the ten islands of Kochi to the nation. Before this, Kudumbashree women were also given the complete management responsibility of various sections of Kochi Rail Metro.

18 of the Kudumbashree women selected to provide various services to the water metro passengers are appointed in the ticketing section and 12 are posted in the housekeeping section. The first service was on 26 April 2023 from High Court Terminal to Vypin and back. The service on Vyttila-Kakkanad route was started on  27 April 2023. More women may get a chance on the water metro as the services are expanded to match the rush.

Members of various NHGs in Kochi East, South, Mulavukad and Elamkunnappuzha CDS are responsible for providing various services in the water metro. The opportunity was arranged for them through the Kudumbashree Initiative for Business Solutions (KIBS) society. This system was formed to provide employment opportunities to Kudumbashree members according to their educational qualifications and to increase the labor participation of women. At present 262 women have been provided employment through KIBS in Vyttila Mobility Hub, Industries Department, KILA.

Kudumbashree women work in all 24 stations of the Kochi Rail Metro, which has created a revolutionary change in the public transport sector in the state. Currently there are 555 people working in Kochi Rail Metro. Their services are in the categories of housekeeping, ticketing, customer care service, help desk, customer facilitation service, setting up of garden and vegetable garden, kitchen, canteen and parking. They are appointed and supervised by the Facility Management Centre under Kudumbashree.

Shri. M.B Rajesh, Minister, Local Self-Government Department and Excise Department, Government of Kerala has announced that 17 May will be observed as Kudumbashree Day in the state from this year onwards. The Minister was speaking at the state-level inauguration of the 'Jaivasamskruthi 2023' project and the announcement of the project. The minister said that it was the Kudumbashree movement of half a crore women that turned Kerala into a land of poverty eradication. The Minister added that Kudumbashree should carry out activities for the next 25 years to achieve the goal of increasing income from poverty eradication.

It is Kudumbashree which brought women to public spaces. There is a lot of credibility for Kudumbashree products among people. So Kudumbashree can play an important role to increase the productivity of Kerala. This organization can also find a market for the agricultural products produced. Revolutionary change can be brought about through local development via Kudumbashree. The Minister said. The minister also commented that this movement has become popular in all areas to the extent that the modern world life is divided into two before and after Kudumbashree. The Minister added that Kudumbashree should also carry out activities linking waste management with organic farming.

The minister informed that steps will be taken to provide the subsidy for the Janakeeya Hotel within a week and that the government is with Kudumbashree. The minister also done the poster release of Agri Nutri Garden Campaign 2023-24, video release, poster-video release of Balasabha Suchithwolsavam Campaign, Green Card distribution to Balasabha members etc.

Shri. Xavier Chitilappilly, MLA, who presided over the function, said that it was because of the Kudumbashree movement that women's participation in the local self-government bodies could be increased. Shri. PK Davis Master, President, District Panchayath delivered the keynote address at the function held at Telcon Convention Centre, Pannithadam. Shri. K.R Jojo, Member, Kudumbashree Governing Body and President, Aloor Grama Panchayath President was the chief guest of the function.

Ms. Latha Chandran, Vice President, District Panchayath, Ms. Ancy Williams, President, Chowvannur Block Panchayath, Shri. S. Basanthlal, President, Panchayat Association, Ms Meena Sajan, Ms. E.S Reshma, Ms. Mini Jayan, Ms. Chithra Vinobaji, Adv. K Ramakrishnan, Ms. Rekha Sunil, Panchayat Presidents, Shri. Jalil Adoor, Ms. Padmam Venugopal, Members, District Panchayath, Shri. K.K Mani, Member, Block Panchayath, Ms. Seibunisa Sharfuddin, Ward Member Dr A. Sajeev Kumar, Programme Officer, State Mission, Ms. Souparnika Subhash, Serial Actor, CDS Members, Kudumbashree Staff, District Mission Staff, People's Representatives and others participated in the programme. 

Shri. S.C Nirmal District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission welcomed the gathering and Ms. Vidya Unnikrishnan, CDS Chairperson Vellore CDS delivered the vote of thanks. As part of the programme, there were seminars led by agricultural experts, farmers' meet, cultural programmes etc. Exhibition and marketing fair of agricultural value added products was also organized.

Agri Nutri Garden Campaign is the project implemented in the state under the joint leadership of the Government of Kerala and Kudumbashree State Mission. The project aims to achieve food self-sufficiency by leading women in rural CDSs towards agriculture. The Kudumbashree members of all the village CDSs of the districts have participated in this project, which aims at bringing 10 lakh women into agriculture to mold a healthy society through the use of non-toxic and nutrient rich vegetables and fruits.

Kudumbashree is arranging an opportunity for prominent machinery manufacturers to participate in the Kudumbashree Machinery-Tech Expo organized by Kudumbashree as part of the Kudumbashree Micro Enterprise Conclave. The programme will be held at Samra International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Kalamassery, Ernakulam on 22-23 April 2023.

The aim of the conclave is to guide Kudumbashree enterprises towards holistic development. More than 1500 micro-entrepreneurs will participate in the conclave. The Kudumbashree Machinery-Tech Expo will be a platform to showcase machines and equipments used in various sectors including manufacturing and service sectors. Through this, Kudumbashree entrepreneurs will be acquainted with the latest trends in modern machinery, working methods and technology and thereby enable entrepreneurial development.

The expo is being organized as a part of uplifting more than one lakh micro enterprises operating across the state under Kudumbashree. The expo will provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs to get to know and familiarize themselves with modern machinery and innovative technology. It can increase production and increase income in less time. The expo will help entrepreneurs to brand their products, improve their customer base, customer relations, and thus achieve better professionalism.

Leading machinery manufacturers, authorized machine suppliers, various banking and financial institutions and their agencies,  Research and training institutes, professional associations, trade promotion organizations, technical corporation agencies and other organizations participating in the conclave will also get a great opportunity through the expo.

For details visit the link www.kudumbashree.org/expo2023.

Kudumbashree members are ready to go to any extent to make our state garbage free. A good example of this is the activities of the 'Lightning Army'  at Ramamangalam in Ernakulam district. The  'Lightning Army' of NHG members formed in Ramamangalam Panchayat as part of Kudumbashree's crime mapping and vigilant group activities to prevent violence against women and children is now effectively dealing with the waste problem plaguing the state.

They are making interventions to monitor those who tend to throw garbage on roadsides at night and find them and bring this problem to the attention of the concerned authorities. The members of the 'Lightning Army' of respective wards of Ramamangalam Panchayat are vigilant round the clock, focusing on the places where garbage is dumped.

The operation is done in such a way that those who throw garbage at night are caught with evidence and are brought to the attention of the authorities. Litterers face fines and legal action. The  'Lightning Army'   conducted surveillance from 8 PM to 6 AM at Ward 5 and 13 to prevent those who come to deposit garbage including Ramamangalam riverside, on 12 April 2023. People who came to dump garbage were stopped and the message was given about the ill effects of dumping garbage in the river. And the garbage was collected back by the person who threw it away.

The surveillance was conducted by Ms. Manju Pratap, Ms. Lima Benny, Ms. Daisy Santhosh, Ms. Shiny Saji and Ms. Soumya Subhash, 'Lightning Army'   members under the leadership of Ms. Sheeba Yohannan, CDS Chairperson, Ramamangalam CDS  in ward 5 and 13. 

The four-day state-level training programme for the Sub Committee Conveners of Kudumbashree Urban CDSs has been completed. 'Chalanam 2023' is a project initiated by Kudumbashree to strengthen the Kudumbashree organizational system in urban areas. A total of 645 Sub-Committee Conveners were trained in six batches at Maria Rani Training Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.

Effective functioning of Kudumbashree CDSs is done through thematic sub-committees on Micro Finance, Livelihood, Infrastructure Development, Social Development, Ward Sabha and Employment Guarantee. In this way, the State-Level Training organized for the Conveners of Sub-Committees working in 93 municipalities of the state has been completed.

The training was based on a special module prepared by the representatives of the teams in charge of various projects in Kudumbashree State Mission and City Mission Managers. This was led by the Kudumbashree Training teams. Apart from the classroom sessions, outdoor sessions were also organized for the trainees.

Shri. A. Jahamgeer, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree, Shri. N. Jagajeevan, Suchithwa Mission Consultant and Former Programme Officer of Kudumbashree, Ms. Beena. E and Shri. Anish Kumar M.S, State Programme Managers interacted with the trainees.

Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission comes up with the novel idea of Single Mother Forum. Mothers who lose the father of their children in the blink of an eye due to illness or accident or who have to take full responsibility of the child born in the womb. Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission is spreading the love of the community to the isolation of such mothers who have no support in their lives through the concept of Single Mother Forum.

Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission has now started implementing this concept through Model Gender Resource Centres. The Single Mother Forum is a group of mothers who are single mothers who are widowed or single. Mothers of children below 18 years of age are included in this forum. Around 100 mothers participated in the Single Mother Forums organized in five panchayaths namely Kuzhur, Mullassery, Perinjanam, Kadukutty and Arimbur during the month of March. They shared all the challenges, difficulties and neglects they faced in their lives in the forum.

The objectives of 'Single Mother Forum' include providing psychological support to these mothers, provide livelihood opportunities under the guidance of Kudumbashree, guide the children in job related ways after education, introduce advanced technology, extend support for starting individual and group enterprises, introduce various projects implemented by Kudumbashree and help secure its benefits, introduce the services of Snehitha and GRCs. Discussions were also held to include various projects for them in the women's component scheme with the support of the panchayath. Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission aims to form a Single Mother Forum in all panchayaths of the district.

Kerala makes outstanding performance in NULM project implementation. Kerala has again been recognized at the national level for its excellent implementation of the centrally sponsored programme Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihood Mission (DAY-NULM) in the state. Through Kudumbashree Kerala became the first state to get recognition in SPARK Ranking 6 times in a row. Kerala has been ranked second in the 2022-23 'SPARK' (Systematic Progressive Analytical Real Time Ranking) ranking for states implementing the scheme. With this, Kerala became the only state to win the SPARK Award six times consecutively. The award amount is Rs. 15 crores. This will be utilized for the expansion of project activities. Gujarat holds the first position and Uttarakhand won the third position.

The SPARK Ranking Award for 2021-22 was received last month. Unlike the previous years, the performance assessment was completed on 31 March 2023, the end of the financial year itself and the rank was announced. Due to this, the awards for two financial years were received at a gap of ten days. The NULM scheme is being implemented in the urban areas of 29 states and 8 Union Territories in the country. Kerala is recognized for excelling in this at the national level. Kerala has secured first position in 2020-21 financial year, second position in 2021-22 financial year and 2018-19 financial year and third position in 2019-20 financial year and 2017-18 financial year. Kudumbashree is the nodal agency of the project in the state.

SPARK ranking is given on the basis of common criteria laid down by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for timely completion of the scheme objectives as per the NULM Scheme. Remarkable progress has already been achieved through the project implemented in 93 municipalities in the state aiming to improve the lives of the urban poor. It is estimated that the project has helped to achieve economic and social progress by bringing together the urban poor under the Kudumbashree three-tier organizational system and providing job training and employment to improve their material living conditions. In addition, shelter homes for the needy, identity cards for street vendors and loans were  also provided.

So far, 24,893 NHGs have been formed in the urban area as part of the project. Skill training was provided to 24,860 people. Out of this, 21,576 people have been provided certificates. Employment was given to 13,736 people. 5704 individual enterprises and 1187 group enterprises were started in livelihood sector. Linkage loan was given to 47,378 persons and Rs..50,000 each was given to 3360 ADSs and Rs.10,000 each was given to 41,604 NHGs as Revolving Fund. Through the survey, 25,684 street vendors were found out of which 19,020 were issued identity cards. 24 shelter homes have been completed in various municipalities, under the project.