Medical Kits and uniforms were distributed to the newly joined entrepreneurs of Santhwanam programme during the one day workshop organised at Maria Rani Convention Centre, Thiruvananthapuram on 20 April 2018. The Medical kit and uniforms were distributed by Shri. S. Harikishore, Executive Director, Kudumbashree Mission. Dr. Vijayakumar, Secretary, Health Action by People (HAP) presided over the function.

The uniform and Medical kit including BP apparatus, Cholesterol meter, body fat monitor, sugar meter etc were given away to 10 participants among the 60 women who had received training from Health Action by People (HAP). The Santhwanam team provide door to door diagnostic services to the needy patients who cannot regularly visit clinics of pathological laboratories. The services offered by the entrepreneurs include a one-time screening of individuals at their homes and follow up check-ups. The screening tests include measurements or estimation of height, body weight, body mass index, body fat, blood pressure, and blood glucose.

About 300 Santhwanam units are working across the state. Kudumbashree Mission. Training of 60 women had been completed. The bank loan to buy medical equipments and two wheelers will be issued to the interested entrepreneurs. Dr. Vijayakumar, Secretary, Health Action by People (HAP), Dr. Sanjay Nair, Assistant Professor,Pulmonary Medicine and Joint Secretary, Health Action by People (HAP), Shri. N. Jajajeevan, State Co-ordinator, Haritha Mission answered the questions of the entrepreneurs. Shri. Gopakumar. K, Senior Project Officer, Santhwanam and Smt. Akhila, State Assistant Programme Manager, Kudumbashree lead the workshop. Smt. Niranjana, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree Mission extended Vote of Thanks.

Kudumbashree Mission will give skill training to the coastal youth of the state through Kudumbashree- Sagarmala programme. The training would be extended through the centrally designed skill training programme, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) being implemented in the state through Kudumbashree Mission. The programme would be piloted among the coastal youth of Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts who would be the beneficiaries of the programme. Kudumbashree plans to give skill training to 3000 students in the coming 3 years. The convergence Project is a collaborative effort by Ministry of Shipping (MoS) and Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), which aims at skilling the coastal communities for wage employment in port and maritime sector. Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has assigned Kudumbashree Mission as the Nodal agency for the implementation of Sagarmala Project in Kerala.

The courses would be of 3 months to 1 year duration. In the first phase, skill training would be extended in the job sectors like, life guards, fish and sea food processing, deep sea fishing, crane operating, electric arc welding etc. By extending skill training and ensuring the placement through this programme, the life style of the rural youth would be improved. The empanelling process of the Project Implementing Agencies are progressing.Once the detailed analysis of the agencies would be over, the project report would be submitted for the approval of the committee. On getting the approval, the training programme would be started in 45 days time. The beneficiaries of the programme would be identified through District Mission Co-ordinators, Block Co-ordinators, Community Resource Persons, CDS, ADS members etc.

The State Rural Livelihood Mission team from Haryana visited Ernakulam to study about Kudumbashree Mission. The team visited the Pallipuram Panchayth of Ernakulam to study about the same. The main aim of the visit was to study about the activities being implemented by Kudumbashree. The team also aimed to study the activities of the Local Self Government Department Institutions. It is also planned to replicate the Kudumbashree Model in Haryana. The Haryana delegation included Ms. Nishitha Banerjee, Chief Minister's Good Governance Associates, Haryana, Ms. Palak Rawal, Chief Minister's Good Governance Associates, Haryana and other officials from National Rural Livelihood Mission.

The State Rural Livelihood Mission team from Haryana visited the flour mill being operated under Pallipuram CDS. They also visited Aquaponics, Joint Liability Groups, DTP centre and health club as well. The SRLM team was welcomed by the Pallipuram Panchayath President, CDS Chairperson and Vice Chairperson. It is planned by the State Rural Livelihood Mission of Haryana to replicate the model of Poverty Alleviation and Women empowerment that Kudumbashree Mission had been implementing in Kerala.

Kudumbashree Pathanamthitta District Mission opened Adolescent friendly Refreshment Centre at Kendriya Vidyalaya at Adoor, Pathanamthitta. The Adolescent friendly Refreshment Centre would give away steam cooked snacks to the children of Kendriya Vidyalaya. The Adolescent friendly Refreshment Centre would completely avoid the junk foods. Smt. R.Girija, District Collector, Pathanamthitta inaugurated the Adolescent friendly Refreshment Centre. District Collector said that the other schools in the district should follow this model.

The kiosk aims at developing a healthy food culture among the students thereby inspiring them to live in touch with the nature. The health issues usually caused to the students are because of their unhealthy food habits like having junk foods. Only by following a healthy food culture a healthy generation could be built.  The Adolescent friendly Refreshment Centre would therefore create a better and healthy food culture among the students of Kendriya Vidyalaya located at Adoor, Pathanamthitta.

Kudumbashree Mission has launched the website www.naattuchantha.com to give away information on the weekly markets being organised by Kudumbashree CDS in all districts across the state. The website was launched on 1 April 2018 and it gives away the details including the district, the name of the CDS and the venue at which the weekly market is being held.The weekly market website is being updated by the Block Co-ordinators in the districts. The website also gives the information on sales report which include the number of Blocks, number of markets conducted, the quantity of the JLG products, quantity of the non JLG products and the total sales recorded during the weekly units. The photographs from different weekly markets organised across the state are uploaded in the website.

Mahila Kisan Sashakthikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), the sub component of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) aims at increasing the visibility of women in agriculture, reducing drudgery and providing a better livelihood opportunity by adopting sustainable and eco friendly agriculture. Kudumbashree, the programme implementing agency (PIA) for Kerala, has undertaken the project through the institution of Joint Liability Group (JLG) of women farmers. Presently Kudumbashree facilitates 60000 joint liability groups undertaking cultivation in 55000 hectors of land. Paddy, Banana, Tubers and vegetables are the major crops.

For ensuring better marketing opportunities and avoid middle man exploitation Kudumbashree started weekly markets across the state and the Mission has provided infrastructure facilities to 450 CDS.

Goan Delegation led by Shri. Jayesh Salgaonkar, Minister of Rural Development , Government of Goa visited Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts. The 34 team visited the districts to study about the activities that are being implemented by Kudumbashree Mission in Kerala. The team had a detailed discussion with Dr. T.M Thomas Issac, Minister of Finance, Government of Kerala. During the nine day visit, the team visited the Micro enterprises units, Neighbourhood groups, MGNREGA centres, Kanjikuzhy Mararikulam Grama Panchayath and the Plastic Waste Management system being implemented at Grama Panchayath etc in Alappuzha district. The team also visited the bag unit, the SVEP office and café units in Pathanamthitta.

Shri. Jayesh Salgaonkar said that the activities being implemented in Kerala by Kudumbashree Mission is really note worthy and is being a model to other states in the country. The livelihood project in Goa is implemented as Goa State Rural Livelihood Programme. Shri. Jayesh Salgaonkar said that it is planned to replicate the model of Poverty Alleviation and Women empowerment that Kudumbashree Mission had been implementing in Kerala. Shri. Shivaji Desai, North Goa Project Officer and Smt. Anuja Fal Desai, South Goa Project Officer also accompanied the team.

Tribal Kudumbashree team leaders from Attappady visited Shri. T. K. Jose IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Local Self Government Department,Government of Kerala on 05 April 2018. The leaders discussed about the various developmental activities that could be implemented in Attappady. It was suggested to increase the representation of Scheduled Tribes in MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), government’s job guarantee plan in India which offer 100 days employment guarantee in rural areas. It was also suggested to allocate construction works of LIFE Mission to the ST workers and to bring food to the MGNREGA sites through Community Kitchen. In connection with MGNREGA, it was also suggested to start cultivating fruits such as mango, chickoo, gooseberry etc. The tribal Kudumbashree team leaders were asked to submit a proposal to build office of Kudumbashree Mission in the land which would be provided by KILA. The Attappady team leaders demanded for legal aid support and education support. It was decided to call a meeting at Attappady in connection with MGNREGA Project.

The 20 tribal leaders from Attappady project included Block Samithi President, Secretary, Committee Members, Panchayath Samithi leaders, Tribal Kudumbashree Animators, Community Resource Persons and Panchayath Co-ordinators. Shri. Harikishore IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree Mission, Shri Balachandran, Project Officer, MGNREGA and other officials from LIFE Mission also attended the function.

The Superwomen of Harithakarmasena in Karulayi Panchayath are keep on changing the life of a village altogether! With commitment and confidence in themselves they are making Karulayi Panchayath a better place to live in. A group of few women came forward to keep their place clean believing that it’s something more than a job. The main aim of the programme was to make Karulayi, a waste free panchayath. To minimize the use of plastic and to make people aware of the hazardous effects of plastic, collect and send them for recycling and to decompose the biodegradable waste etc were the main aim of the programme.

15 people were identified as green technicians in the village. The service of Mr. Ibrahim, an expert in a waste segregation was made used for collecting the waste and sending them to the recycling units. 12 tonnes of non biodegradable waste was sent for recycling. An amount of Rs 20 was collected from the households and Rs 50 was collected from shops as user fee. Special notices were distributed among the households and shops. Publicity was also given to spread the message to everyone. A carry bag was given to store the wastes. A vacant space in a remote place in Karulayi was chosen to segregate the wastes. A tie up was done with Green Worms Eco Solutions, a social impact enterprise based in Calicut, for collecting the non biodegradable waste and to process it further. Kudumbashree women collected the waste store in each households and shops and took it to segregate and sent it to the Green Worms for further processing. The waste is segregated into different sections based on its features. H.M White, P.P, H.M, LDPrint, Bajar, Ganny, Bulb, PVC, steel, tubes, bottle, E- waste, LD(Glucose), Bottle caps, Spray bottle etc.

Uniform, shoes, gloves, baskets, face masks, knives etc were given to the green technicians for performing segregation activities. The waste is being collected from the households in monthly basis and from shops in weekly basis. A card was distributed among the people to record the user fee collected. The card includes the date waste was collected, the quantity of waste collected, the amount collected from the households/ shops and signature. This was made compulsory to maintain a transparent and fruitful association between those who collect waste and the house owners. For disposing the rejects (Glass wastes, bags, umbrellas, foot wears) Rs 27,000 would be paid for the company from Panchayath Fund. Separate register was kept for weighing the amount of the different category of wastes. While sending the waste to Green worm Eco Solutions, presence of Panchayath President, Secretary / concerned official and health inspector is ensured. A review meeting is also held once in 2 months including all the ward members.

Following the success in the first phase of implementation, the second phase was launched in August 2017. Around 43 ton of waste had been sent so far, out of which 6500 Kg of recyclable plastic and 36000 Kg were rejects. In the first phase, panchayath hadn’t paid any money. The agency used to took away the waste; only user fee was collected. It was in the second phase tat bags were distributed among the households/ shops for storing the waste. Rs.50 is collected from medium shops and Rs.100 is collected from big shops as user fee in weekly basis. Rs.20 is collected from households as user fee in monthly basis.

Haritha Karma sena is a professional team consisting of Green Technicians and Green Supervisors mainly Kudumbashree Women who will be assigned with the responsibility of collection, transportation, processing, recycling / disposal, and management of waste materials in association with respective LSGs and Suchithwa Mission. Green Technicians are trained man power recruited to provide technical services and solutions on waste management projects. One Green Technician has to visit 250 households in a ward. In one Ward two Green Technicians will be positioned and one supervisor for managing 15 Wards. The Collection of user fee will be the responsibility of Green Supervisor. Haritha Sahaya Sthapanams the accredited agencies of Haritha Kerala Mission which will provide technical assistance to the Haritha Karma Sena.

There are 15 wards in Karulayi, with an area of 135 Sq.kilometres. The Population of Karulayi is around 26000 with around 6000 families. The programme have a huge relevance that such an initiative had altered the attitude of the people in and around Karulayi that they think twice before throwing a plastic cover away. In fact, the inhabitants of Karulayi has minimised the usage of using plastic and a better civic sense had been evolved among the people regarding the usage of plastic and other waste. Knowing the success story of Karulayi Panchayath in waste management, many other panchayaths have consulted them to study the Karulayi model of waste management. Harithakarmasena of Karulayi is committed to bring about a positive change in the sector of waste management. Envisioning a healthier, clean and green world that complements a human generation living in harmony with nature.

Organised by Kudumbashree Mission, the national food and cultural expo, 'Saras Mela 2018' , offering the best of traditional food and artistry, concluded carving out yet another era in the history by drawing record sales and massive crowds. A total sale of more than Rs 7 crores was recorded from the stalls and food courts of the 10 day long Mela conducted at the ground near Market, Pattambi, Palakkad from 29 March 2018 to 8 April 2018.

Regarding the sales at the Food Court, a total sale of Rs 51,60,870 was recorded. Goa bagged the award for the best food court among the partner states. Chaithanya Cafe of Attappady and Punarjanmam Juice World won the Award for the Outstanding Performance. Alif Cafe of Kozhikode was selected as the Best Kerala Food Court. Muthuthala Panchayath, Ongaloor Panchayath and Pattambi Municipality won the awards for the best processions. Shri. P.K Sumesh of Deshabhimani Daily bagged the award for the Best Reporting ( Print Media). Shri. Mohan Charaparambil of Madhyamam Daily won the second prize for the same. ACV, PCV and STV bagged the awards for the Best Covering of Saras Mela 2018 in Visual Media. Smt. K.P Shailaja bagged the First Prize at the Essay Writing Competition organised in connection with Saras Mela 2018.

Micro entrepreneurs from 25 states across the country including Kerala had became the part of the programme. Around 250 stalls were opened, out of which 100 stalls were of other states. The 70,000 sqft big pavilion and food court was the main attraction of the Mela. Saras Mela 2018 became a huge success because of the active participation of the people and organised work of the organising team. 22 food stalls were opened at the food court offering the people of Pattambi, a special chance to taste the wide range of cuisines from different parts across the country. Out of the food stalls, 13 were from Kerala and 9 were from other states. The cultural programmes arranged daily at the Mela indeed became a visual treat for those who gathered at the Saras Mela. Artists and celebrities also took part in the programme adding more fame to the event.

The programme strictly followed green protocol. Therefore, the 'eco-friendly' Mela held at Pattambi is attracted more and more people and added more colour to the festive days of Kerala. Saras Mela 2017 was kickstarted when Dr. K.T Jaleel, Minister, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala officially inaugurated the programme.

It is for the third time that Kudumbashree Mission is organising Saras Mela. Last year, Saras Mela was conducted at Safari Maidan, Malappuram which recorded a sale of Rs. 6.54 Crores. The first saras Mela was was conducted at Ashramam Ground, Kollam which made a sale of Rs.4.6 Crore. The Saras Mela 2018 was indeed a celebration of food, art and culture in this festive season and was wholeheartedly received by the neighbouring districts as well which resulted in the grand success of the programme.

Shri M.B Rajesh, MP inaugurated the Valedictory function. Shri. Muhammed Muhsin, MLA presided over the function. Shri. T.R Ajayan, Social Activist and Smt. Sahira Kuttipuram, Poet were felicitated during the programme. Dr. Khadeeja Mumthaz, Writer and Shri. P. Raman were also present at the function. Dance-Drama programmes were also presented at the function. Shri. P. Saidalavi, District Mission Co-ordinator, Palakkad welcomed the gathering and Shri. M. Dinesh, Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator, Palakkad extended Vote of Thanks.

The Kudumbashree District Mission of Ernakulam launched new Balasabha at SOS Children's Village. The Balasabha is started as part of the formation of Balasabhas focusing on child care institutions. The first of its kind is started at the Youth Home of SOS Childrens Village at Edathala Panchayath, Ernakulam. Balasabha of 20 children of 12-18 years of age was formed at the SOS Childrens Home. Master John Pradeep and Master Tony Thomas were selected as the President and Secretary of the Balasabha. The move aims to ensure the participation of such students in the democratic space. The objective of the initiative is to improve the academic and extra curricular skills of the children at the Youth Home of SOS Children's Village.

SOS Children's Villages International comprises 118 national SOS Children's Villages associations. and each SOS Children's Villages association is committed to apply the federation's statutes, standards for quality child care, and stringent financial and administrative practices. The SOS Children's Village in Alwaye, Cochin was launched in 1990. In addition to advocating for the rights of children, SOS Childrens village support families so that they can generate an income and stay together, and we provide family-based care for children who have lost the care of their parents. Balasabha envisage for the overall development of children through addressing their social and emotional needs and enhancing their creativity and leadership skills. At present, there are 32,878 Balasabhas, covering 4,30,908 children, across the state.