'Nanjil 2.0' Agricultural Exhibition and Knowledge Marketing Fair organized by Kudumbashree Malappuram District Mission in convergence with Ponnani Municipal Corporation and NABARD is progressing with the attention of the public. The fair started on 27 October 2023 lasted until 31 October 2023. Through the marketing of the products of Kudumbashree entrepreneurs and the Food Fair, a turnover of Rs. 3.25 lakhs was achieved in two days. The exhibition of agricultural machinery, millet exhibition and nutrition fair made 'Nanjil 2.0' stand out.

In connection with 'Nanjil 2.0' Shri. P. Nandakumar, MLA, Ponnani Constituency performed the District Level Inauguration of Kudumbashree's Agri Nutri Garden project, which will set up organic agricultural gardens in every household to meet the complete nutritional needs of the family, and the inauguration of the distribution of subsidized agricultural machinery as part of the SMAM (Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization) Project.

Seminars were also organized as part of 'Nanjil 2.0' on 'Farming Clusters and Agriculture Sector Development', 'Towards Millets to Combat Lifestyle Diseases – Entrepreneurial Opportunities' and 'Family Farming – Agri-Ecological Practices'. Artistic performances by Kudumbashree NHG members is also arranged every day.

Noorang is a Heritage Tuber Conservation Centre run by 10 Kudumbashree women from the Vetta Kuruma community of Irumbupalam hamlet as part of the special tribal project run by Kudumbashree in Thirunelly, Wayanad. Kudumbashree has now arranged the opportunity for the public to visit the farm. The farm can be visited from 1 November 2023 to 31 December 2023 from 10 AM to 5 PM. The entry to the farm is through pass. For more details, please contact: 9895303504.

Noorang has won the Heritage Seed Preservation Award of the Government of Kerala and the award instituted by the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation. Dr. Renu Raj IAS, District Collector, Wayanad released the promo video about Noorang.  Shri. P.K. Balasubramanian, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission, Ms Rejeena V.K, Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator,  Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission,  Ms. Rukkiya Sainuddin, Chairperson, Thirunelly Gram Panchayat Welfare Standing Committee, Ms. Saumini. P, Chairperson, Thirunelly CDS, Shri. Jayesh V, District Programme Manager, Shri. Sai Krishnan, Co-ordinator, Thirunelly Special Project, Shri. Feroze Babu, Ms. Satyabhama, Animator, Ms. Lakshmi, Ms. Sarada, Noorang Members were also present.

'Kelikottu', the Proclamation Cultural Procession organized by Kudumbashree as part of the Keraleeyam Programme which is proposed to be held at Thiruvananthapuram from 1 to 7 November 2023 was flagged off. The 'Kelikottu', the Proclamation Cultural Procession which was started from Kanakakunnu Palace premises was flagged off by Shri. V. Sivankutty, Minister for General Education and Labour, Government of Kerala and Chairman, Reception Committee, Keraleeyam Programme.

'Malamuzhakki', a musical ensemble of the Kudumbashree Unit in Wayanad is giving leadership to the Cultural Procession. Ahead of the flag off, a flash mob of students studying under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) implemented by Kudumbashree was also held. Following that a quiz competition was also organized.

Shri. I.B. Satish MLA, Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree, Shri. S Harikishore IAS, Convener, Keraleeyam also participated in the programme. The procession will tour various centres in Thiruvananthapuram district on 28 & 29 October 2023. The journey which will reach Nedumangad and Pala on 28 October 2023 and will reach Balaramapuram, Neyyatinkara and various places in Thiruvananthapuram on 29 October and will end at Manaveeyam Veedhi.

'Namath Theevanaga' the Millet Sandesha Yathra organized by Kudumbashree as part of the Attappady Tribal Comprehensive Development Project on the occasion of the International Year of Millets was concluded at Palakkad on 26 October 2023. The first phase of the Millet Sandesha Yathra which was started from Thiruvananthapuram on 18 September 2023 ended in Thrissur on 27 September 2023. The second phase was started on 17 October 2023. A turnover of Rs. 12,93,051 was also achieved through 'Namath Theevanaga'- Millet Sandesha Yathra.

The objectives of Millet Sandesha Yathra are to promote the use, dissemination and awareness of millet farming, finding market for millet products in Attappady and promoting the cultivation and cooking of millets to prevent lifestyle diseases. Millet farmers of Attappady and Kudumbashree activists were part of the Millet Sandesha Yathra.

Exhibition, marketing and food fair of various millets like Maize, Ragi, Foxtail Millet, Little Millet, Kodo Millet / Kodo Millet Rice, Barnyard Millet has been arranged as part of the Millet Sandesha Yathra. Ms. K. Sulochana, CDS Chairperson Kudumbashree Palakkad North CDS presided over the valedictory function held at Civil Station, Palakkad on 26 October 2023. Shri. K.K. Chandradasan, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission welcomed the gathering. Ms. K. Binumol, President, Palakkad District Panchayat inaugurated the valedictory function and the Exhibition of Millet Products. Dr. S. Chithra IAS, District Collector, Palakkad was the chief guest of the function. Members from Attappady who were part of Millet Sandesha Yathra were felicitated at the function. Ms. Dharmalasree IAS, Sub Collector, Palakkad, Shri. B.S. Manoj, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree State Mission delivered their greetings. Ms. Lakshmi Raj, District Programme Manager, Kudumbashree delivered the vote of thanks.

Shri. P. Rajeev, Minister for Law, Industries and Coir, Government of Kerala performed the logo release of the National Saras Fair, which will be organized at the Kaloor International Stadium, Ernakulam under the auspices of Kudumbashree this December. Shri. Nithin S, native of Seethathodu of Pathanamthitta district and Shri. Shihabudheen T of Kumbidi of Palakkad district succeeded in the competition organized to prepare the logo and tag line of the fair respectively, which brings together the diverse products and food items of the rural entrepreneurs of India under one roof. "Celebration of self-sufficiency" is the tag line of Kochi Saras Fair prepared by Shihabudheen.

Adv. P.V. Sreenijan, MLA, Kunnathunad Constituency, Shri K. N. Unnikrishnan, MLA, Vypin Constituency, Shri. Anthony John, MLA, Kothamangalam Constituency, Adv. M. Anil Kumar, Mayor, Cochin Corporation, Shri N.S.K Umesh IAS, District Collector, Ernakulam, Ms. Rejeena T.M, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Ernakulam District Mission Co-ordinator, District Level Officials of various departments and District Level Officials of Kudumbashree took part in the release ceremony organized at the Collectorate Hall, Ernakulam.

Kerala will become the first state in India without extreme poor by fulfilling the livelihood needs of the very poor through scientific project activities, said Shri. M. B Rajesh, Minister of Local Self-Government and Excise Department, Government of Kerala. He was speaking at the state-level inauguration of the 'Ujjeevanam' 100 Days Livelihood Campaign organized by Kudumbashree as part of the State Government's Extreme Poverty Eradication Project at the Government Women's College, Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram on 25 October 2023.

Ujjeevanam campaign is unique that it aims to change the main cause of poverty i.e., the inadequate means of livelihood and make every family self-sufficient. Micro Level Plan of 64,006 extremely poor families identified through the survey conducted by Kudumbashree will be prepared and financial assistance and training to start enterprises that ensure regular income for 6429 families that need livelihood will be made available through the campaign. For this, data collection from these families will be done through a specially prepared mobile application.

In her keynote address, Ms. Sarada Muraleedharan IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Local Self-Government Department, Government of Kerala said that as the poverty eradication mission of Kerala, the local bodies and Kudumbashree should work together at the state, district, urban, village and ward levels and save the extreme poor families from poverty.

Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering. Adv. D. Suresh Kumar, President, District Panchayath, Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree, Shri. Jiju P. Alex, Member, State Planning Board jointly executed the disbursement of livelihood scheme assistance to the selected extreme poor beneficiaries from the districts. and. A training programme was also organized for Micro Enterprise Consultants and Community Resource Persons who will collect information of beneficiaries through the mobile app.

Ms. Geetha Nazeer, Member, Kudumbashree Governing Body and Member, District Panchayath, Ms. Sindhu Sasi. P, Ms. Vineetha. P, Ms. Shyna A, Ms. Beena. P, CDS Chairpersons offered their felicitations. Dr. B. Sreejith, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree delivered the vote of thanks.

The sales of Kudumbashree's 'Kerala Chicken' project, which has been providing pure chicken meat to Keralites since March 2019, has crossed Rs. 208 crores. Average daily sales of 25,000 kg of chicken is currently being marketed through the Kerala Chicken Project, which is being implemented by Kudumbashree Broiler Farmers Producer Company (KBFPCL).

The Kerala Chicken project which provides quality chicken to the public and ensures sustainable income for NHG members was first started in Ernakulam in 2019. Now the project is being implemented through Kudumbashree in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. The project will be extended to Kannur this year itself. Currently, there are 345 broiler farms and 116 Kerala Chicken branded outlets in the state. Around 500 women farmers and outlet beneficiaries get livelihood through this.

KBFPCL collects the grown chickens from the farms and delivers them to the Kerala Chicken outlets for marketing. Farmers receive an average of Rs. 50,000 as rearing wages every two months. Kudumbashree has disbursed Rs 19.68 crores to farmers till date. Beneficiaries operating Kerala Chicken branded outlets earn an average income of Rs. 87,000 per month.

As part of the expansion of the project, processed poultry meat and value added products will soon be launched in the market.

Kudumbashree members who are interested in starting Kerala chicken farms can contact their respective Kudumbashree District Missions to get the necessary information.

A special livelihood campaign of 100 days is coming as part of the Extreme Poverty Eradication Programme implemented by the Government of Kerala to make Kerala a completely poverty-free state. This campaign, named as 'Ujjeevanam' will be organized under the leadership of Kudumbashree from 25 October 2023 to 1 February 2024.

The aim of the campaign is to ensure sustainable income for 6429 families who are in need of livelihood out of the 64,006 extremely poor families identified through a survey organized by Kudumbashree and bring them to the mainstream of society. For this, job training and necessary support will be provided to those who are capable of employment in the poor families.

Campaign activities

The first step is to make home visits till 15 November 2023 to understand the survival and livelihood needs of each family. Through a home visit led by a special team formed in each LSGI, the beneficiary's livelihood requirement, various schemes that can be availed for employment availability and necessary financial support will be recorded in a special mobile app prepared for data collection.

Based on the information obtained through house visits, the list of livelihood activities required for each family will be completed before 25 November 2023 under the leadership of respective LSGI level teams. Kudumbashree Micro Enterprise Consultant in each CDS is responsible for preparing the Individual Livelihood Plan of the beneficiaries. Separate list will be prepared for those who need essential support and those who have problems that can be solved by providing community enterprise funds.

Vocational training will be provided to needy beneficiaries after checking the feasibility of livelihood schemes. If financial assistance is required for the schemes designed to provide employment to the beneficiaries, that too will be provided by 8 February 2024 through various schemes of Kudumbashree. Also financial support will be provided through local body level projects and sponsorship.

The Cookery Competitions as part of 'Keraleeyam' progressing across the state. The district level cooking competitions organized for Kudumbashree catering units was started at Wayanad. This cooking competition is being organized to promote the Food Mela as part of the 'Keraleeyam 2023' proposed to be held in Thiruvananthapuram from 1 to 7 November 2003. The unit which comes in the first and second places will get Rs. 5000 and Rs. 2500 respectively.

Around 1500 catering units across the state, affiliated to Kudumbashree, will participate in the cooking competitions organized on  district basis. Three dishes should be prepared by each district according to the variety of tastes of their respective districts. The competition will follow green protocol. Cooking competition has already been organized in Thiruvananthapuram, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Alappuzha districts. The competition was also organized in Thrissur on 17 October 2023.

13 Kudumbashree enterprise units participated in the cooking competition organized at Food Craft Institute, Thrissur. Kalyani Cafe, enterprise from Thrissur Corporation CDS-2 bagged the first prize. My Blossom, enterprise from Orumanayur Kudumbashree CDS bagged the second prize and Lavender Cafe from Vellangallur CDS bagged the third prize. Adv. K. Rajan, Minister for Revenue and Housing, Government of Kerala distributed the prizes to the winners. Shri. P.K. Davis Master, President, Thrissur District Panchayath presided over the function. In connection with the Cookery Competition, a seminar on 'Food Safety & Hygiene' was organized for Kudumbashree Livelihood Sub-Committee Conveners.

Kudumbashree's Back to School Campaign, the largest training programme for women ever held in the country which aims to bring 4.6 million women to school on holidays, is progressing in full swing across the state making steady growth in the participation of NHG members. As the third batch of the 'Back to School' Campaign has been completed, more than 11 lakh NHG members attended the campaign within 6 days. As per the data received till 15 October 2023, a total of 11,07,627  NHG members from 1,29,392 NHGs have attended the 'Back to School' Campaign. Palakkad, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts came in first, second and third places with participation of 139851, 136575, 116611 NHG members respectively. The campaign was launched with the aim of strengthening the  three-tier structure of Kudumbashree and for equipping the NHG women to take up novel ventures in tune with the changing times.
 
The district wise data as on 15 October 2023 are as follows: (In the order of district, no. of NHGs attended, no. of NHG members attended)

Thiruvananthapuram- 11161- 95855
Kollam- 11031- 78683
Pathanamthitta- 5139- 37511
Alappuzha- 8569 - 74670
Kottayam- 6834 - 58942
Idukki- 4674- 35274
Ernakulam- 13734 - 116611
Thrissur- 14140- 114728
Palakkad- 15609- 139851
Malappuram- 15788- 136575
Kozhikode- 6593- 67328
Wayanad- 4868 - 40872
Kannur- 6327 - 58458
Kasaragod- 4925 - 52269
Total- 129392 - 1107627

The campaign was started when Shri. M.B. Rajesh, Minister, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala performed the State Level Inauguration of the Campaign at K.B. Menon Memorial Higher Secondary School, Thrithala, Palakkad on 1 October 2023. The campaign envisages bringing 46 lakh Kudumbashree NHG members back to classrooms on holidays until 10 December 2023.  On the first day itself, lakhs of NHG members took part in the Campaign across the state, amidst the heavy rains.

The campaign activities have been designed in a way reminiscent of the school days. Class time is from 9.30 AM  to 4.30 PM. The Assembly is from 9.30 AM to 9.45 AM. Kudumbashree's Mudra Geetham (Anthem) will be sung during the Assembly.  The Lesson topics include Organizational Strength Experience Lessons, Vibrancy of NHG is in Mathematics, Community-Life Security Our Happiness, Livelihood-Ideas Projects and Digital Age.

As part of the Campaign being conducted in collaboration with the General Education Department, the NHG members are coming to the schools under the respective CDSs during available holidays from 1 October-10 December 2023 to gain knowledge on various subjects. More than 2000 schools in the state have been sanctioned for the campaign.

The classes are led by more than 15,000 Resource Persons all across the state. There will be a 10 member team of Resource Persons in each district which includes 2 Kudumbashree Training team members, 2 Auxiliary Group members, 2 Micro Enterprise Consultants, District Programme Manager in charge of Organizational Strengthening, Assistant District Mission Coordinator and 2 Gender team members. There are Resource Persons in Block level as well as in CDS level.

Notable personalities including ministers and others from social-political-cultural sectors have visited the 'Back to School' Campaign.