Saras Mela 2018, the national food and cultural expo organised by Kudumbashree Mission, that would offer the best of traditional food and artistry is to start at the Ground near the Market, Pattambi, Palakkad on 29 March 2018. Dr. K.T Jaleel. Minister, Local Self government Department, Government of Kerala will officially inaugurate the programme.

entrepreneurs from 25 states across the country including Kerala will be the part of the programme. Around 250 stalls are opened, out of which 100 stalls would be of other states. 75 stalls would be opened by the entrepreneurs from Kerala. 40 stalls would be for the entrepreneurs from Rural Development Department. The handicrafts that would showcase the heritage and culture of each states, art forms, jewellery, fabrics, utensils etc would be for sale at the Saras Mela. The ethnic food prepared by the Kudumbashree women would add more colour to the programme. The 70,000 sqft big pavilion and food court is the main attraction of the Mela. Apart from the stalls, 22 stalls are opened for food courts out of which 13 are for Kerala and 9 of them would offer cuisines from different states across the country.

Saras fairs help the micro entrepreneurs to sell out their products to the consumers without the interventions of the middle men and would help them to grow better business relations and thereby increase their sales. this would in turn help them in earning more income and better life style.

The programme would strictly follow green protocol and would be opened from 10 AM to 10 PM. Only cloth bags and paper bags would be used during the mela. A sale of Rs 6 crore is expected from the mela. Daily cultural programmes are also arranged in connection with the programme. Entry to Saras Mela is absolutely free.

Other than sales stalls, reception, office room, police aid post, medical room, cloak room etc are also arranged. For the security of the public visiting the mela, full time service of police and fire force are also ensured. Convergence with Suchithwa Mission is also ensured for making the Saras mela an ecofriendly one.

Saras Mela 2018 would be an incredible opportunity to get acquainted with the cultural, artistic, traditional, and rich heritage values of different states across the country. Undoubtedly, Saras Mela 2018 would add more colour to the festive days of Kerala. The mela would come to an end on 7 April 2018.

Following the success attained in forming the women's construction groups, Kudumbashree is coming up with women's painting groups.The ' Nirakkoot' painting group formed in Ernakulam district are attracting the attention of public by excelling in their new job sector. The painting group which was started 2 years back had already completed painting works of more than 20 apartments and had earned around Rs 25 lakhs. Berger Paints had associated with Kudumbashree Mission in imparting the training for the women.

The women started the painting units with the confidence gained in the success of construction units and hollow bricks making units. The districts are finding out the NHG women who are interested in joining the programme. As per this, new beneficiaries had been identified from Kottayam. Training has also been given to them. The painting units may get work not only from private organisations and individuals but also from government departments as well.

As part of the upcoming LIFE programme, about 2.5 lakh houses would be built all across the state. Once the construction of these houses would be complete, Kudumbashree is looking forward to make use of the job opportunities that would arise in connection with the painting of those houses. Kudumbashree will also ensure the convergence with other departments for ensuring job and income for them. Along with the loan and subsidy, innovation fund will also be given to the women. Kudumbashree is planning to extend the programme to all districts.

The programme was initiated by the Ernakulam District Mission. Those who were interested in painting buildings were selected through interviews from NHGs. And the 10 women selected from Vazhakkulam and Vengola were 2 months training. Five women those who had shown interest in forming a micro enterprise were selected from within them and ' Nirakkoott' Micro Enterprise was formed. Each unit member is earning about Rs 1000 a day. The members themselves take measurements and take quotations while taking up the works . Only during taking up the works of multi storied buildings that they get the help of experts in the sector.

The Presidents and Secretaries of the 7 Area Development Societies of Kudumbashree received the ‘Swachhatha Excellency Awards’ for the notable interventions made by them in the sanitation programmes in the state from Shri. Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India during the programme held at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, Dr. Rizal Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi on 22 March 2018.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs selected 7 Area Development Societies of Kudumbashree for ‘Swachhatha Excellency Awards’ for the notable interventions made by them in the sanitation programmes. The awards were announced at the workshop conducted prior to the award distribution programme. Award Money of Rs 1.5 Lakh, along with memento and certificate was given away to the Kazhakootam ADS of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation which came in the first place. Kalady ADS of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Thamarakuzhi ADS & Moonnampadi ADS of Malappuram Municipality which came second were given an award money of Rs. 1 Lakh, along with mementos and certificates. Chappara ADS of Kodungalloor Municipality, Kulathoor ADS and Punnakkamughal ADS of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation which came in the third place were given award money of Rs 50,000 along with along with mementos and certificates. The Awards are for the various interventions that Kudumbashree ADSs made in vector control, waste disposal mechanisms, awareness campaigns, organic manure promotion, grow bag cultivation, plastic recycling etc.

The selection committee including Shri. S. Harikishore, Executive Director, Kudumbashree, Smt. Haritha V Kumar, Director, Urban Affairs Department and Shri. Binu Francis, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree selected and sent the 21 entries out of the 206 entries received from the various urban local bodies to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. The officials from Quality Council of India had inspected the 21 shortlisted ADSs and submitted the reports. It is on its basis that the selection committee presided by the Joint Secretary, Ministry Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India selected the best performing ADSs from Kerala.

Kudumbashree bagged the award worth Rs 6 crore for the best performance by implementing NULM successfully in 93 Urban Local Bodies in the State. The Award was received by Shri.S. Harikishore, Executive Director, Kudumbashree, Shri. Binu Francis, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree, Shri. Jaison.P.J, Shri. Sudheer.K.B, Shri.Rajesh Kumar, State Programme Managers, Kudumbashree from Shri.Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Urban Affairs Minister, Government of India, at the programme held at Pravasi Bharathi Kendra, New Delhi on 22 March 2018.

The programmes implemented by Kudumbashree during 2017-18 in the urban areas made Kudumbashree qualified for the National Award. Other than the Awards received for Kudumbashree National Resource Organization and National Rural Livelihoods Mission, this is the third National Award Kudumbashree had been receiving this year for the best performance.

The rehabilitation of the street vendors and street dwellers, NHG formation, skill training, making avail loans for finding jobs of one's own, successfully linking the accounts of the beneficiaries with Aadhar were the programmes considered for the award.

Other than National Urban Livelihoods Mission, Kudumbashree is also the nodal agency of the other centrally designed programmes like Pradhan Manthri Awas Yojana, National Rural Livelihoods Mission and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameena Kaushalya Yojana.

To provide skill development to people with disabilities and provide livelihoods opportunities, a Livelihood Resource Centre was set up at ‘Snehatheeram’, the BUDS Rehabilitation Centre of Mararikulam South Grama Panchayath associating with Leonard Cheshire Disability Project Nagapattinam as part of the ‘Access to Livelihood’ Programme, the flagship programme of Leonard Cheshire Disability to empower the Persons with Disability (PWDs).

After detailed planning and discussions with Kudumbashree, MoU was signed in the month of July 2016. As per the MoU, the project duration was 8 months from July 2016 to March 2017 and for utilizing the fund within the period, the programme was extended to March 2018. As per the agreement between Leonard Cheshire Disability Project Nagapattinam and Kudumbashree Mission, Satellite Livelihood Resource Centre of Leonard Cheshire Disability Project was opened at the Buds Rehabilitation Centre at Marairikulam South Grama Panchayath as part of the pilot study.

And as part of the initial activities, linkages were established with the local level skill providers by ensuring necessary accessibility features. Partnership with local employers and with the financial institutions was also set up to provide necessary employment support. For setting up businesses and a Livelihood Resource Map was created. After identifying the persons with disabilities in the locality, through need analysis and skill assessment, skill training was given to them. A total of 122 persons were identified with disabilities out of which 27 were from BRC. 10 were given training in paper making, 10 were given training in vermin compost making and mothers of 5 bed ridden children of BRC were given training and amenities for poultry farming. The other physically challenged identified from within the panchayath were given training for LED Bulb assembling as well.

With the help of Eksat training team, guidance was given to the children on making paper bags, tablet covers, shopping bags, gift cover, envelope, oven bags, files making, marketing techniques, packing etc which were included in the module and orders were received from Panchayath, Agriculture Department and other organisations. The 3000 notepads used during the 19th Anniversary programme of Kudumbashree Mission held at Alappuzha were made by the children of Snehatheeram BRC of Mararikulam South Panchayath. One vermi compost unit with four rings at BUDS School Campus with the technical guidance of Socio Economic Unit Foundation (SEUF).

Leonard Cheshire Disability (LCD) is an international NGO working through five regional offices in Africa and Asia, with an extensive global network of partners in over 50 countries. The key focus of our programmes is inclusive education, access to livelihoods, campaigning and advocacy, and research. The South Asia Regional office is based in Bangalore, India. Leonard Cheshire Project Nagapattinam (LCPNP) is the partner organization of Leonard Cheshire Disability implementing the ‘Access to Livelihoods’ Programme since 2008 in 4 locations– Nagapattinam, Thiruvallur, Cuddalore and Chennai- through established ‘Livelihoods Resource Centre (LRC) based in Chennai. The Main objectives of this model are to connect people with disabilities with opportunities to work, to act as a “one-stop-shop” by providing training, career guidance, and links to employers, who support people with disabilities in the world of work, to promote the choice and decision of people with disabilities in livelihood and to support confidence building in people with disabilities.

The Prathidhwani Talk Show organised in connection with the State Level Gender Campaign Neetham 2018 attracted masses. The Kudumbashree women from various districts across the state shared their experiences on how Kudumbashree Mission touched their lives. It was Kudumbashree Mission which changed their lives altogether and brought them to the forefront of the society. Shri. Kadakampally Surendran, Minister, Devaswom-Tourism-Cooperative Department, Government of Kerala inaugurated the function. The talk show showcased the growth that Kudumbashree Mission attained through its 20 years of service. Kudumbashree is the best example of Women's development in Kerala. Minister said.

The best 2 life experience stories selected from each districts were presented during the talk show programme.10 minutes was allotted for everyone. The participants shared their life stories before and after joining Kudumbashree. For everyone, it was Kudumbashree Mission which played a crucial role in their personality development and education as well. Smt. Yasmin, Smt. J. Radhamani Ravi, Smt. Prasanna Kumari, Smt. Aji Basheer, Smt. Bindu Wilson, Smt. Fareena Shahjahan, Smt. M.V. Bhageerathi, Smt. Chandrajanam Radhakrishnan, Smt. Prasanna Kumari, Smt.Sakeena, Smt. Laksmi Rajan, Smt.Usha Uthaman, Smt.Deepa Nair, Smt. Pathmavathi, Smt.Ambili Bhaskaran, Smt.Valsala.M. Smt. Kalamani, Smt.K.Thahira, Smt.Sindhu.S, Smt. Lissy Martin, Smt.Mini.K, Smt. Sonu.S.Nair, Smt.Padmini, Smt.Ambili Nair, Smt.Anitha Soman, Smt.Salomi Roby, Smt.Smitha Mol, Smt. Mercy George and Smt.T.T Ramla shared about the financial and intellectual they had acquired through Kudumbashree.

Kudumbashree Mission, which had made significant interventions in the women empowerment area, should now focus on the health of women, said Smt. E.S. Bijimol, MLA who presided over the function. The subject presentation was done by Shri. S. Harikishore, Executive Director, Kudumbashree Mission. Shri. Pramod, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering. Adv. C.S Sujatha, Governing Body Member, Smt. M.K Remya, Governing Body Member, Prof. Geetha Kutty, Head, Centre for Women Studies Kerala Agriculture University, Smt. Mini Sukumar, Head, Centre for Women Studies, Calicut University and Shri. Pramod Payyanur, Member Secretary, Bharath Bhavan were the panelists of the programme. Ms.Sujitha, State Assistant Programme Manager extended vote of thanks.

The State Level Gender Campaign, Neetham 2018 was concluded at Olympia Hall, Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram on 20 March 2018. Shri. V.S Sunil Kumar, Minister of Agriculture, Government of Kerala inaugurated the report presentation held in association with the programme. It is by the launch of Kudumbashree Mission that Kerala began to think about 'gender equality'. The growth of Kudumbashree Mission is that the common women of Kerala realised that they are also the part of the society. Kudumbashree could succeed in persuading the women to take up the challenging jobs sectors, that were considered not suitable for women, till then. Kudumbashree had played a main role in bringing up the women from the mentally backward state to the main stream. Minister said.

It is notable that in the 50 % seats reserved for women at the Local Self Government Departments, a greater percentage had entered into the main stream through Kudumbashree Mission. Neetham Campaign should bring in a big change by ensuring security for women and children from the base level itself. The contribution of Kudumbashree into the agriculture sector is really notable. The village markets set up by the Kudumbashree women are the best examples for these. He added. Minister also said that all support would be extended for ensuring regular markets for the agricultural products produced by the Joint Liability Groups of Kudumbashree.

Shri. S. Harikishore, Executive Director, Kudumbashree Mission presided over the function. He said that Kudumbashree had started taking up the gender activities to the international level. After the successful completion of the first phase of Vulnerability Mapping, the panchayaths had submitted various projects worth Rs 11 Crores for the security and finding livelihood for women and children. The vulnerability mapping would be done this year also and the community counselling activities would be more strengthened. It's a greater achievement for Kudumbashree that the activities of Snehitha Gender Help Desk could be extended to all districts across the state. He added.

The representatives from all districts presented the details collected from the districts in fighting back the atrocities against women and the preventive measures identified through NHG get togethers. Dr. K.R Shaiju, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree District Mission, Thiruvananthapuram welcomed the gathering. Smt. Ramlath.P, Director, Kudumbashree Mission, Shri. Pramod K.V, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree, Shri. Binu Francis, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree and Smt. Soya Thomas, State Programme Manager, Kudumbashree also attended the function. Smt. Priya E, State Assistant Programme Manager extended vote of thanks.

The Executive Committee of the Department of Women and Child approved the scale-up of the Amrutham Take Home Ration Fortification to all Nutrimix production units in Wayanad district. Fortification of Take Home Rations is the collaborative project between Kudumbashree Mission, Department of Women and Child Development and United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP), which aims to deliver fortified blended foods to children between 6-36 months of age through Integrated Child Development Services Programme in Kerala.

As per the MoU signed between the Government of Kerala and United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP), with the intention of demonstrating that fortification can be well implemented in government systems and schemes with adequate capacity building of the women’s neighbourhood groups, starting in December 2016, Kudumbashree Mission in collaboration with UNWFP and the Social Justice Department (SJD), had setup a fortification demonstration at the Snehadeepam Amrutham Nutrimix unit in Vellamunda panchayath in Manathavady block of Wayanad district.

Fortification is a practice of deliberately increasing the micronutrient content of a food, so as to improve the nutritional quality of food supply and provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health. As per the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau Survey 2012, average intake of children (1-3 years) for recommended micronutrients was found to be much lower than the required, resulting in the consequent malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. According to the World Health Organization, young children between 6-36 months of age catered to by the Integrated Child Development Services Programme and Kudumbashree, should receive foods which provide sufficient energy, protein and micronutrients to cover a child’s energy and nutrient gaps. The pilot project in Mananthavady aimed to address the same as well. Micronutrients may be provided to these children through dietary diversification, supplementation or fortification. Food fortification however is the most cost-effective strategy by which the micronutrients are added to foods leading to rapid improvement in the micronutrient status of various population groups at a reasonable cost without requiring any behavioural change.

As of date, 163.5 metric tonnes of fortified Amrutham Nutrimix has been produced by the Snehadeepam unit in Wayanad and distributed to all 148 Anganwadi centres in the project area. The pilot project has efficiently demonstrated that, Take Home Ration can be easily fortified by addition of micronutrient premix to the existing recipe of Amrutham Nutrimix while using the same equipment’s available at the Nutrimix production unit. The beneficiary response and acceptability of fortified Amrutham as observed during the pilot project has been highly encouraging. As part of scaling-up the Take Home Ration fortification initiative across Kerala, the project will be initially extended to all Nutrimix production units in Wayanad district followed by other districts in the State. UNWFP will support with capacity building of all the units engaged in nutri-mix production in Wayanad.

The District Mission of Thrissur came up with a new idea for finding markets for their entrepreneurs, associating with Canara Bank. Similar to the mobile unit of Consumer fed, the Canaravahini would reach the customers and the products of Kudumbashree would be bought by the customers. A branded van would act as a mobile shop which would reach out to the customers and sell the products of the  micro entrepreneurs in the district. The programme is being implemented as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities of Canara bank. 

Alathur Rice produced by the JLGs of Annamanada Panchayath in the district, curry powders, other flours, masalas, jam, squash, coconut oil, handicrafts, toiletries etc are for sale at ‘Canaravahini’.

Through various activities, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission had been finding maximum market for their products and is monitoring them as well.  Kudumbashree District Mission of Thrissur  understood that only through such out of the box initiatives that market could be assured for the products.  Through different initiatives to market the products, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission is standing out unique.

Kudumbashree Women of Kasaragod will start climbing the electric posts soon! The Grama Kiranam Programme put forward by Kasaragod District Mission would enable the women to repair the street lights leaving behind all the gender discriminations. From now onwards they would climb the electric posts to do the electric works of their panchayaths. Both the theory and practical training for making LED bulbs and repairing the street lights are being given to them. 'Imprint' the accredited agency under District Mission of Kasaragod and Adersh Technical Institute are providing the needed training in Cheruvathoor and Uppala respectively. Those who wished to become the part of the programme were selected through concerned CDSs.

The training is being held at two centres in the district, Cheruvathoor and Uppala. Training is given to 30 people each through both centres. A team of 5 is selected from each panchayath out of which 3 are women and 2 are men. They are also given training in business management, communication leadership, accounting etc. The teams are also trained in making LED, tube, emergency, panel light etc. Those who finished the LED bulb training may start Micro Enterprises. 22 people from Cheruvathoor and 21 from Uppala attended the theory cum practical training. Once operational, these women would therefore be able to break all the stereotypes of gender.