BUDS Institutions are one of the best and humane social services among the many alternatives that Kerala has created so that India can emulate them, said Shri. M.B. Rajesh, Minister, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala while performing the Day Announcement and State-Level Inauguration of BUDS Day at the function held at  Kerala Arts and Craft Village, Vellar, Kovalam on 16 August 2023. He added that 16 August 2023, which is celebrated as the first BUDS Day will be a memorable day in the history of BUDS Institutions run by Kudumbashree in association with Local Self-Government Institutions, a model that can be extended all over India. From this year onwards, 16 August will be observed as a day for Intellectually Challenged Children in the name 'BUDS Day' under the auspices of Kudumbashree.

The Minister also released the logo and tagline of BUDS and also inaugurated the 'Sajjam' Building Resilience Programme, which trains about one lakh Balasabha members to recognize and deal with natural calamities. The logo and tagline for the BUDS Institutions were found through a competition. Shri. Ranjith K.T. (logo) and Shri. Abhiraj R.S. (tagline) were the winners of the competition and the Minister gifted the awards to the winners during the function.

Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Kudumbashree Executive Director, Kudumbashree explained the project. Dr. Sekhar L Kuriakose (Member, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority) released the Sajjam Handbook by giving the same to the Minister.

August 16 is the day when the first BUDS School in the state started functioning in Venganoor Grama Panchayath of Thiruvananthapuram district under the auspices of Kudumbashree in 2004. The Day Announcement and the Week Celebration have been set up with the aim of making BUDS Institutions more popular and raising intellectually challenged children into the mainstream of the society, in the context of the achievements accomplished by Kudumbashree in collaboration with the Local Self Government Institutions in this field within the last nineteen years. The day also aims to integrate more children into BUDS institutions and to provide mental support to parents. Ahead of the announcement of the day, the BUDS Week celebration was ongoing from 9 to16 August 2023. As a part of this, various programmes were organized in all BUDS Institutions across the state.

At present BUDS Institutions are functioning in 359 Local Self-Government Institutions. There are 167 BUDS Schools for children up to 18 years of age and 192 BUDS Rehabilitation Centres for those above 18 years of age. Vocational and livelihood training is given priority in Rehabilitation Centres. 11,642 people are being supported in daily living, rehabilitation and job training through BUDS Institutions. He also said that 495 teachers and 622 caretakers are serving in BUDs Institutions. The main objective of BUDS institutions is to transform intellectually challenged children from dependence to self-reliance.

A special livelihood scheme involving parents of children in BUDS Institutions is also being implemented. Rs. 3.5 crores have been sanctioned by the Government for this purpose. Programmes are designed and implemented to include the mothers of the children studying in BUDS Institutions keeping in mind that they often have to spend time with their children in the institutions. Vocational training is also being provided to the trainees above 18 years of age to ensure a steady income. Various vocational training like paper & pen making, paper file making and umbrella making are provided in this way. Currently 162 enterprises are part of BUDS Institutions.

The products prepared by the children of the BUDS Institutions under Kudumbashree District Mission are being branded under the name 'Ithal' and are brought to the market. Products like notepad, office file, seed pen, cloth bag and paper bag are branded and marketed from 14 BUDS Institutions in the district. All beneficiaries of BUDS Institutions are covered under Niramaya, a comprehensive health and safety scheme. The policy amount of the scheme is fully paid by the state government.

BUDS Institutions also give maximum encouragement to arts and sport activities to support the mental growth of the beneficiaries. BUDS Arts Festivals are organized every year for this purpose. BUDS Arts Festivals are organized at institutional, district and state levels. The curriculum at BUDS Schools includes a wide range of subjects such as music, dance, other arts and sports items and yoga. He also pointed out that Sanjeevani  Agri Therapy activities are also implemented for the physical and mental awakening of children in BUDS Institutions. All BUDS Institutions are conducting agricultural activities aimed at the mental refreshment of the beneficiaries. The State Government has been providing excellent support to BUDS Institutions, including an allocation of Rs. 12.5 lakh each to 200 local bodies for infrastructural development in BUDS Institutions. He also said that 28 master trainers and 608 district-level resource persons have been trained as part of Sajjam- Building Resilience Project, which prepares about one lakh Balasabha members to deal with natural calamities.

Shri. Chetan Kumar Meena, Director, Social Justice Department, Shri, Bhagath Roofus R.S, Member, District Panchayath Division, Ms. Geetha Nazir, Kudumbashree Governing Body Member and District Panchayath Member, Ms. Jaya Nalinappan, Chairperson, Welfare, Athiyannoor Block Panchayat,  Adv. Smitha Sundaresan, Kudumbashree Governing Body Member and Varkala Block Panchayat President,  Ms. Anitha Y.V, Chairperson, Kudumbashree Venganoor CDS, Shri. Roofus Daniel, Former President, Venganoor Grama Panchayath, Ms. Shobana, Former Chairperson, Venganoor CDS,  were also present at the function.

Dr. B. Sreejith, Programme Officer, Social Development, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering and Shri. Ashtapalan V.S, Member, Venganoor Grama Panchayath, delivered vote of thanks.

Kudumbashree BUDS Day will be organized from this year onwards to popularize the activities of BUDS Institutions run by Kudumbashree in collaboration with Local Self Government Institutions for intellectually challenged children. 16 August 2004, the day when the state's first BUDS School was officially inaugurated in Venganoor Grama Panchayath of Thiruvananthapuram district, will be celebrated as BUDS Day every year from now onwards. The BUDS Week celebrations ahead of the first BUDS Day celebrations has already been started. Fruit tree planting activities under the name 'Oru Mukulam' were organized in all 359 BUDS institutions in the state, including BUDS schools and BUDS Rehabilitation centers on 9 August 2023.

BUDS Day celebration also aims to integrate more children into BUDS Institutions run for the education and rehabilitation of intellectually challenged children and to provide psychological support to parents. A week-long celebration programme and district-level closing programmes are organized as part of the first BUDS Day celebration in all the BUDS Institutions in the state.

Home visits will be held on 11 August (children and staff of BUDS Institutions visit the homes of children who cannot reach BUDS Institutions due to physical difficulties) and Independence Day celebration and parent teacher meet will be held on 15 August. Opportunity will be provided to showcase children's creativity. The culmination of the week long BUDS institution level celebrations and the BUDS Day celebration will also be organized at the district level on 16 August 2023. Children's art programmes at BUDS Institutions will also be organized on the day.

There are 167 BUDS Schools for children up to 18 years of age and 192 BUDS Rehabilitation Centers for children above 18 years of age. Vocational and livelihood training is given priority in Rehabilitation centres. BUDS Rehabilitation Centres started its operations from 2013 onwards.

Kudumbashree's flowers will be for sale at Onam Market this year. Flowers blooming in the gardens of Kudumbashree members will add more colour to the 'Pookkalam' (Floral Carpet) prepared by the Malayalees during this Onam season. Cultivation of different varieties of flowers like bandi, marigold, chendumalli, jasmine and lotus is progressing all over the state. 

A total of 526.389 acres of land is being cultivated targeting the Onam market through Kudumbashree Joint Liability Groups (JLGs). 1461 JLGs have became part of it. Palakkad district has the largest acreage of flower cultivation. i.e., 88.7 acres. 

The aim is to make these flowers available in all the local markets and Kudumbashree's Onam markets. Kudumbashree is trying to make a strong presence in the Onam market through flowers this time. For details and flower availability under each CDS conducting floriculture, one may contact the respective CDS Chairperson.

Mazha Polima, an agricultural revitalization programme implemented by Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission, is progressing. From children to adults, people go to the fields, plant the seedlings, sing and dance and is making Mazha Polima a festival of the country. Various events including art and sports competitions and food fair are being organized as part of the fair.

With the slogan 'Cheranu Chor', Mazha Polima has been organized by Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission with the objectives of making barren land cultivable, ensuring food security, attracting people including the young generation to agriculture, and reviving the agricultural culture of the district.

The Mazha Polima Campaign, which has been organized in the district for the last five years, is being organized in a more extensive manner from this year. Apart from CDS level, the campaign is also organized in ADS level. As part of the campaign which started on 5 July 2023, Mazha Polima has been organized in 31 out of the total 42 CDSs in the district so far. 6 ADSs also carried out Mazha Polima.

Last year, 646.3 acres of barren land were cultivated through Kudumbashree JLG groups as part of Mazha Polima and 20.8 tons of rice was brought to the market under the Arishree brand.

The job fairs as part of the micro plan activities jointly implemented by the Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission and Kudumbashree have been completed in the four local self governing areas. Micro Plan activities were carried out in Bison Valley in Idukki district, Sultan Batheri in Wayanad district, Perumbadappu in Malappuram district and Kollam Corporation in Kollam district.

1800 job seekers and 163 employers participated in the job fairs organized in these four regions on 8th, 9th and 15th July 2023. 536 people were selected. As part of the Micro Plan activities, intensive campaign programmes to provide knowledge jobs to the educated job seekers registered on the Digital Workforce Management System (DWMS) platform in these areas were carried out.

The micro plans are being prepared and operated as per the requirement of the local self-governing bodies to the Knowledge Economy Mission to provide knowledge jobs to the educated unemployed. The first event in the micro-plan calendar is the formation of an organizing committee comprising of officials from various departments, people's representatives and representatives from skilling / employment agencies.

Then there are about 11 activities including meeting of job seekers at local level, knowledge job explanation, training and interviews for community ambassadors, work readiness programme and job training. Job fairs are organized last. In the future, it is aimed to implement micro plans focusing on more local bodies.

Kudumbashree invites logo and tagline for Kudumbashree BUDS Institutions, which works aiming at the education and rehabilitation of the differently abled run by Kudumbashree in the state associating with Local Self Government Institutions. The best entry will get Rs. 10,000 as prize. The logo and tagline should align with the basic objectives of BUDS Institutions like education of intellectually challenged children, day care, care and rehabilitation of intellectually challenged adults.

The entries may be sent to The Programme Officer (SD), Kudumbashree, TRIDA Building, Medical College P.O, Thiruvananthapuram-695011. The last date for receipt of the entries is 10 August 2023.

Samunnathi - Kudumbashree Scheduled Caste Comprehensive Development Project has been launched at Kuzhalmannam Block of Palakkad district of Kerala. Shri. M.B. Rajesh, Minister, Local Self Government Department and Excise Department, Government of Kerala inaugurated the programme held at Thenkurissi Panchayath Community Hall, Palakkad on 29 July 2023. The Minister said that through the launch of this project, Kudumbashree aims at inclusion of the sidelined communities and this project has been launched in Kuzhalmannam Block as 25 % of the population are from Scheduled Tribes community. Within the last 25 years, Kudumbashree has made revolutionary and astonishing changes in the life of women socially, financially and politically. Making changes in the lives of women means that Kudumbashree is capable of making changes in the lives of the people of Kerala altogether. Kudumbashree have brought leadership of women to the mainstream of the society. Also Kudumbashree paved the way for comprehensive women empowerment  The Minister said. 

Kudumbashree has made the play written by V.T.Bhattathiripad come true by bringing women to the mainstream of the society. Kudumbashree had made great contributions to complete the social reformation movement of Kerala. The President of India had joined Kudumbashree during its Silver Jubilee Celebrations and the comment made by the President of India about Kudumbashree brings immense pride not only to every Kudumbashree member but also to all keralites. He added. 

Shri. K.D. Prasenan, MLA, Alathoor Constituency presided over the function. Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbahsree explained the project. The Minister also launched the Samunnathi Guideline during the function. Various funds for the SC NHGs, distribution of special seed capital and livelihood funds to the 7 CDSs were also held.

Kudumbashree State Mission is starting a special project called 'Samunnathi' for the first time in the state in the Kuzhalmannam block of Palakkad district where the largest number of Scheduled Castes reside as part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission's Annual Action Plan as a part of special intervention in the Scheduled Castes region. This project aims to implement various development activities for the Scheduled Castes in the seven Kudumbashree CDSs of Kuzhalmannam block in three phases. This project also aims to bring all the families of the Scheduled Castes into the Kudumbashree system and implement various locally possible livelihood work activities and carry out various social women empowerment interventions.

There are 7 Local Self Government bodies in Kuzhalmannam block such as Thenkurissi Grama Panchayath, Kottayi Grama Panchayath, Kannadi Grama Panchayath, Kuzhalmannam Grama Panchayath, Kuthanur Grama Panchayath, Mathoor Grama Panchayath. Peringottukurissi Grama Panchayath. 25% of the total population belongs to the SC category. Wage labor and agricultural work are the main means of livelihood. Compared to other communities, the Scheduled Castes are economically, socially, educationally and professionally very backward. Mainly Panan, Mannan, Perumannan, Parayan, Cheruman, Kanakkan, Doban, Koodan, Kavara, Pulayan, Pulluvan, Valluvan, Nayadi, Chakiliyan and other groups live here.

Through the Samunnathi scheme, mainly the interventions such as formation and strengthening of NHGs, trainings for existing NHGs (accounting, organizational structure, various projects), strengthening of micro-income development activities by providing community funds Vulnerability Reduction Fund, Revolving Fund and Corpus Fund to NHGs and Seed Capital Fund, Livelihood Fund etc to CDSs, agriculture focused livelihood activities, formation of mechanized agricultural workforce (Green Army), formation of Agricultural Joint Liability Groups, initiation of animal protection initiatives, micro-enterprise formation by identifying local resource potential etc will be implemented for Scheduled Caste families.

Ms. Binumol .K, President, District Panchayath, Palakkad, Shri. C.K.Chamunni, Vice President, District Panchayath Palakkad, Shri. T.K.Devadas, President, Kuzhalmannam Block Panchayat, Ms. Maruthi Murugan, Block Panchayath President Attappady and Kudumbashree Governing Body Member, Shri. Bhargavan. R, President, Thenkurissi Grama Panchayath, Shri, Satheesh. R, President, Kottayi Grama Panchayath, Ms. Latha.M, President, Kannadi Grama Panchayath, Ms. Mini Narayanan, President, Kuzhalmannam Grama Panchayath, Shri. P.T. Sahadevan, President, Kuthanur Grama Panchayath, Ms. Pravitha Muraleedharan President, Mathoor Grama Panchayath, Ms. Keralakumari. K.M, President, Peringottukurissi Grama Panchayath, other officials also became part of the function. Shri. K.K. Chandradasan, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission welcomed the gathering and Shri. Jijin.G, District Programme Manager, Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission delivered the vote of thanks. 

Malu Amma, who is member of Kudumbashree for the last 22 years, Mundiyamma, 80 year old NHG member and members of Prathyasha unit, Balasabha members, JLG members who did cultivation in 5 acres of land and the first NHG formed as part of the Samunnathi Project was also felicitated at the function.

Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission arranges livelihood opportunity for 10 tribal families in Parambikulam. The initiatives were jointly inaugurated by Shri. B.S. Manoj, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree and Shri. K.K.Chandradasan, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission during a function organized on 22 July 2023.

Under Kudumbashree's Scheduled Caste Sustainable Development Project, two mini flour mill units named Minishree and Jayashree have been started under the leadership of Kudumbashree in the fifth colony of Parambikulam ward to promote livelihood activities. Minishree Curry Powder Unit will be run by Ms. Shanti, Ms. Nanji, Ms. Shelvi, Ms. Rugmini and Ms. Kaveri, members of Snehashree NHG and Jayashree Curry Powder Unit will be run by Ms. Madhavi, Ms. Jaya, Ms. Alli, Ms. Pacha and Ms. Rathi, members of Sreehari NHG of Muthalamada CDS. Kudumbashree has provided financial assistance of Rs. 60,000 each to start the mills.

 A social security insurance campaign was also started in the villages. Ms. Selvi, Ward Member, Ms. Komalam, Chairperson, Muthalamada CDS, Ms. Mallika. R, CDS Member, Shri. Muthu Swami, Head of the Hamlet, Shri. Jijin.G, Ms. Sabitha.C, Ms. Lakshmi.R, Ms. Priyanka.K,  Shri. Naushad, District Programme Managers, Shri. Jomon K.J, SD Co-ordinator, Ms. Rajitha, Micro Enterprise Consultant, Shri. Veluchami, Ms. Aishwarya, Shri. Satheesh, Animators also participated in the function.

 Parambikulam Reserve Forest is more than 80 km away from Palakkad town, which can be reached only after traveling through Tamil Nadu from Kerala and again through Kerala. Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission is being a relief to the tribal groups of Malamalasar who live in this Parambikulam Reserve Forest, which is located at an altitude of more than 800 meters above sea level.

The first phase of the  'Sajjam'- Building Resilience Programme Training for Balasabha members which envisages preparing the new generation to face natural calamities has been completed.  9311 children participated in the training organized in 206 CDSs in 14 districts on 15-16 July 2023. A total of 608 District Level Resource Persons were trained by 28 Master Trainers and State Disaster Management Authority representatives. The Balasabha members are being given training through them.

It is aimed to provide training to one lakh Balasabha members of the state in different phases by Onam holidays. Along with providing awareness on the issues of nature, environment, disaster impact mitigation, rights and responsibilities, children will be given an opportunity to learn about various natural disasters like floods, landslides, droughts, landslides, sea storms and understand the current disaster management systems. 

Training is provided through various activities in which the children can understand for themselves, including how climate change affects their lives. Through these trained children, adults will also be given awareness.

The 'Karkkidaka Chantha' set up by Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission at Thirunelly gained attention. Dr. Renu Raj IAS, District Collector, Wayanad inaugurated the programme on 17 July 2023. The 'Karkkidaka Chantha' was set up in connection with the Karkkidaka Vavu (Hindu ritual performed for the deceased ancestors) at the premises of Thirunelly temple. Various types of leafy vegetables, vegetables, Wayanad's unique rice Gandakashala, Mullan Kaima, Chomala, Veliyan Thondi etc along with dosa made from these rice, Puttu flour and products made from mani grass were made available at the 'Karkkidaka Chantha'.

'Karkkidaka Chantha' was organized as part of the Kudumbashree Wayanad Tribal Comprehensive Development Project in association with Thirunelly Kudumbashree CDS, Van Dhan Vikas Kendra Thirunelly and Rebuild Kerala Initiative - Entrepreneurship Development Programme (RKI - EDP). 66 Kudumbashree entrepreneurial units participated in the market organized in the temple premises on 16, 17 and 18 July 2023.

 Ms. R. Sreelakshmi, Sub Collector, Wayanad, Shri. N.I. Shaju, Additional District Magistrate, Shri. P.K. Balasubramanian, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission, Ms. V.K. Rejeena, Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission, Kudumbashree officials and members also attended the function.