Kudumbashree and SLBC (State Level Bankers Committee) organized One Day Workshop to ensure better banking services for 3 lakh Kudumbashree NHGs in the state and Entrepreneurs at Mascot Hotel, Thiruvananthapuram on 8 February 2023. 

Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree said that in addition to emphasizing existing livelihood schemes to provide sustainable income to NHG members, more emphasis will be placed on financial support and financial literacy activities in the next financial year. Equal importance is being given to the activities to bring the members of the newly formed Auxiliary Groups to better careers. The foundation of Kudumbashree is the micro savings scheme and related activities. In his welcome address, the Executive Director said that a financial literacy campaign would be organized for NHG members to avoid unscientific loan transactions and achieve accuracy and precision in financial transactions.

Rs. 8029 crores in various banks of the state belong to Kudumbashree NHGs. The remaining amount after disbursing the internal loan is given interest in savings bank account. Kudumbashree has also raised the suggestion of providing more interest on this investment. Shri. Sreekumar, Deputy General Manager, Canara Bank and SLBC representative said that they will consider whether this can be implemented as per the current guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India. Apart from this, Kudumbashree made discussions with various bank representatives on the challenges faced by banks in providing linkage loans to NHGs, the difficulties faced by existing entrepreneurs and the members of newly formed Auxiliary Groups in getting self-employment loans, relaxation in existing procedures for opening new accounts and providing linkage loans to NHGs, and the services of banking correspondents to speed up the loan process.

Shri. Anil P Antony, Director, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering.  Shri. Anishkumar, State Programme Manager, Kudumbashree made a presentation on the various livelihood projects implemented by Kudumbashree in the state aiming at Local Economic Development, projects requiring bank loans for entrepreneurs and Centrally Sponsored Projects. Shri. P. Mohannayya, National Resource Person, NIRD, Shri. Abhishek Goswami, Mission Manager, NRLM-NIRD spoke at the function. Various bank representatives, Kudumbashree Programme Officers and State Programme Managers  participated in the programme.

The 'Noorang' Harvest as part of Thirunelly Tribal Comprehensive Development Project in Wayanad was held in a festive mode. The Noorang Harvest was held in the Irumbupalam Hamlet of Ward 9 of Thirunelly Panchayath of Wayanad. The Noorang project was designed with the aim of conservation, seed production and distribution of tubers, which had a permanent place in the food resources of the tribal group, and imparting knowledge about tubers to the new generation.

A total of 130 varieties of potatoes were harvested as part of potato cultivation by ten women of three Kudumbashree groups in Irumbupalam on 4 February 2023. The harvest festival was inaugurated by Shri. O.R. Kelu, MLA, Mananthavady Constituency inaugurated the harvest. Shri. P.V. Balakrishnan, President, Thirunelly Panchayath presided over the function. Ms. Saumini. P, CDS Chairperson, Thirunelly welcomed the ceremony. Shri. P.K. Balasubramanian, Kudumbashree District Mission Co-ordinator, Wayanad delivered the keynote address.

Shri. Sunil Kumar KP (Range Officer, Tholpetty), Dr. Anil Kumar (ADA, Mananthavady), Ms. Vimala BM (Block Panchayath Member) and Ms. Jayesh. V (Kudumbashree District Program Manager-Tribal), Ms. Rukkiya Sainuddin (Standing Committee Chairman, Thirunelly Panchayath), Ms. P.J. Manuel (Potato Conservationist) and Shri. Sunny Kalpetta (Public Activist) paid their felicitations. Shri. Sai Krishnan T.V. (Co-ordinator, NRLM Thirunelly) delivered vote of thanks. 150 people participated in the Harvest Festival.

The last date for submitting the entries to the Vlogs & Reels Competition being organized in connection with the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Kudumbashree has been extended till 21 February 2023. Vlogs and reels on any projects, activities, initiatives of Kudumbashree will be considered for the competition. 

Cash award of Rs. 50,000 will be given for the best vlog. Whereas cash award of Rs. 40,000 will be given as second prize and Rs. 30,000 will be given as third prize. Cash Award of Rs 25,000 will be given for the best reel whereas cash award of Rs. 20,000 will be given as second prize and cash award of Rs. 15,000 will be given as third prize. Consolation prizes will also be given for best entries. In addition to cash award trophies and certificates will be awarded to the winners. 

The vlog should not exceed 5 minutes and the reels should not exceed 1:30 minutes. An applicant can submit one or more videos. The copyright of the video belongs to Kudumbashree and Kudumbashree shall not be responsible for any copyright claims or seeking approval from any authority.  Videos can be prepared in English and Malayalam.

The videos selected by the primary jury will be uploaded on the official YouTube, Facebook and Instagram of Kudumbashree State Mission. 30 percent weightage will be given to views. The winners will be determined based on concept, content, videography and views weightage.

To know more details including the conditions, visit - www.kudumbashree.org/reels2023

'Thozhilarangathekku' Programme (Towards Career), of Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission which aims at creating maximum employment for educated women has been launched. Shri. V. Sivankutty, Minister for General Education and Labour, Government of Kerala inaugurated the programme during the function held at Hotel Hycinth, Thiruvananthapuram on 6 February 2023. 

In a survey conducted Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission in collaboration with Kudumbashree, it was found that there are 53 lakh job seekers, out of which 58% are women. As the majority of job seekers are women, 'Thozhilarangathekku' is a scheme that gives special emphasis to make the educated and job seeking women job ready.

District Level Job Fairs will be conducted all over Kerala with the help of ICT Academy to provide job opportunities to maximum number of women from 7 February 2023 till the end of this month. Kudumbashree is making the social interventions for this purpose for Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission. By 8 March 2023, the International Women's Day, as many women as possible will be given the necessary training and employment. Currently, 25,000 women have been registered on the Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission's DWMS platform as part of the project, for training.

Ms. Mini Sukumar, Member, Kerala State Planning Board presided over the function. Dr. P.V. Unnikrishnan, Member Secretary, K-DISC delivered the keynote address. Ms. Bindu V.C, Managing Director, Kerala State Women's Development Corporation paid the felicitation. Dr. Sreekala P.S, Director, Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission welcomed the gathering and Dr. B. Najeeb, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Thiruvananthapuram District Mission delivered the vote of thanks.

BUDS Band Group from Kannur has created history. A group of students of BUDS School won the round of applause at the District Level Parade held on the 74th Republic Day at the police parade ground in Kannur district on 26 January 2023. The BUDS School students confidently paraded the band without missing a beat in front of Shri. K. Radhakrishnan, Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes and Devaswoms, Government of Kerala and the District Collector of Kannur and set a milestone in the history of BUDS Institutions. They are a 14 member band from Pazhassiraja BUDS School, Mattannur who set a new model for the BUDS Institutions run by Kudumbashree in association with local self government institutions. 

Mattannur Pazhassiraja BUDS School was able to form the first BUDS band group in the state as a result of the efforts initiated by the Kudumbashree Kannur District Mission, three years ago. The team led by Nishad includes Aparna, Fathimath Nafia, T. Nikhisha, Mubeena Fathima, Renjini, Manjusha Muraleedharan, M.P. Pranav, Muhammad Mushtaq, T. Akshay, M. Rajinas, Arshad, Jithin and Saneesh. Shri. A.K. Naveen Kumar is the coach. The Minister gave certificates and gifts to the group that completed the parade.

It was Kudumbashree Kannur District Mission that provided the funding for arranging the necessary instruments and training for the group. Kudumbashree Kannur District Mission also aims to extend the project to five other BUDS Institutions in the district. Kudumbashree Kannur District Mission and the staff including the teachers of Pazhassiraja BUDS School deserves a great appreciation and a round of applause for the BUDS Band group for taking a new step on a different path by extending a new spark of hope to other BUDS Children.

The 'Kerala Chicken' project being implemented by Kudumbashree has also been extended to Malappuram district. Shri. V. Abdurahiman, Minister of Sports, Minority Welfare, Hajj and Waqf Department, Government of Kerala performed the District Level Inauguration of the project at the function held at Sur Palace, Kalad, Niramaruthoor, Tanur, Malappuram on 4 February 2023. Currently, the project is being implemented in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Palakkad districts under the leadership of Kudumbashree.

Kerala Chicken is the project conceived and implemented by the state government with the objectives of finding a solution to the high price of chicken meat, providing clean chicken meat to consumers, ensuring a steady income for chicken farmers who are members of Kudumbashree, producing and marketing fifty percent of the broiler chicken market in Kerala within the state. Kudumbashree is implementing this project in collaboration with Animal Husbandry Department and Kerala State Poultry Development Corporation. The project activities are coordinated through the producer company, 'Kudumbashree Broiler Farmers Producer Company Limited'.

As of now, there are 303 broiler farms and 104 Kerala Chicken branded outlets. Through this, 400 families are also provided with regular income. 24,000 kg of meat is marketed daily through the outlets.

Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree was the Chief Guest and Shri. Ismail Puthussery, President, Niramaruthoor Gram Panchayath presided over the function. Mr. Jafar Kakkooth, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Malappuram District Mission welcomed the gathering. Dr. Sajeev Kumar. A,  Program Officer, Kudumbashree explained the project. The Chickens are reared in 25 farms in Nilambur, Perinthalmanna, Wandoor, Areekode and Kalikavu of Malappuram district.

Kudumbashree received the 6th TNG Award, instituted by Asianet News in memory of Late Shri. T.N. Gopakumar, who was a prominent journalist and former editor of Asianet News. Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree received the award from Ms. Mallika Sarabhai, renowned dancer and activist at the function held at the Kerala Sahithya Academy Hall, Thrissur on 4 February 2023. Dr. R. Bindu, Minister of Higher Education, Government of Kerala was the Chief Guest of the function.

The Award is in recognition of the overall contribution made by Kudumbashree to the self-sufficiency and empowerment of women, which is in its Silver Jubilee Year. The Award consists of Rs. 2 lakhs, a memento and a certificate.

Kudumbashree is all set to be an active presence in the 13th edition of International Theatre Festival (ITFOK - International Theatre Festival of Kerala). Representatives of Rangashree, the theatre troupe of Kudumbashree NHG members, will also participate in the National Theatre Workshop for Women organized as part of the Theatre Festival organized at Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) in Mulagunnathukavu, Thrissur from 7 to 12 February 2023. Kudumbashree will also organize a National Food Fair where unique food products from different parts of the country will be available.

Rangashree is a theatre group formed by Kudumbashree with the aim of strengthening the presence of NHG women in the fields of art and culture. These community theatre groups of Kudumbashree are being used to deliver messages that enable social transformation. Rangashree also provides a great opportunity for NHG members who are interested in acting and arts.

Rangashree teams are present in all 14 districts. 28 Rangashree team members are participating in the workshop as part of ITFOK. The workshop will be led by Ms. M.K. Raina, Ms. Anuradha Kapur and Ms. Neelam Mansingh, Theatre Experts in National Level. The workshop is open daily from 8 AM to 11 AM. Later time is an opportunity to watch the plays and understand the preparations of the play first hand. 

Organized with the message of 'Onnikkanam Manavikatha' (Humanity must Unite), the International Theatre Festival will feature plays from different countries and plays from different states of India.

The Digital Literacy Programme being organized by Kudumbashree Malappuram District Mission has opened the doors of digital world to the NHG members of Malappuram district.  Though the NHG members have  smartphones, they use it only to call and talk to someone or to send a couple of WhatsApp messages. Through the Digital Literacy Programme, Kudumbashree Malappuram District Mission has opened the opportunity for 30,000 NHG members to acquire knowledge that will put the world at their fingertips, including banking services advanced by the digital world.

This Digital Literacy Project for the NHG members who have not even heard of e-mail or e-services, who do not think that banking services can be done through their smartphones without standing in long queues, and who do not take advantage of its potential, is organized in association with P N Panicker Foundation. Kudumbashree Malappuram District Mission aims to complete the project which started on 15 January 2023 by this month.

Kudumbashree members up to 60 years of age can acquire digital literacy as part of this programme. Three Resource Persons each are identified from every panchayath and are extended training. It is through them, the project is implemented at the panchayath level. The project  will also have assistance from youth clubs, library councils and volunteer workers.

Resource Persons have been selected and trained in all 111 CDSs of Malappuram district. The activities of registering online training centres in CDSs have also been completed. The registration of learners using biometric devices provided by P.N. Panicker Foundation to the training centres is now in progress. After 10 days of registration and training, one can appear for the exam online. Those who successfully complete the training will also be awarded the NIOS certificate by the IT Ministry.

A one day workshop on 'Commercial Sustainable and Safe Broiler Chicken Production Methods for Kerala Chicken Stakeholders' jointly organized by Kudumbashree and Animal Husbandry Department, Government of Kerala was held at Hotel Grand Chaithram, Thiruvananthapuram on 1 February 2023. Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree inaugurated the workshop. The workshop included various sessions on antibiotic use, production of antibiotic-free chicken, alternative approaches to antibiotics, economic feasibility and future perspective to achieve this goal, and change in management practices.

The workshop was organized with the objective of drafting an approved operating procedure for reducing antibiotic residues in broiler chicken and making commercial broiler farming a sustainable source of income. Based on this, Kudumbashree and Animal Welfare Department will jointly prepare a draft of the approved operating procedure by including the best suggestions. Once this becomes available, comprehensive development will be possible including better broiler management and sustainable employment and income for farmers.

The draft of the approved course of action will include clear guidelines on antibiotic use, antibiotic-free poultry production, antibiotic alternative approaches, economic viability and future perspective to achieve this goal, and changes in management practices. The draft will also include recommendations on health care of chicks, disease control, vaccination, control of diseases caused by inorganic materials, methods of controlling disease vectors, and scientific methods for testing the quality of feed and water.

Advanced broiler management and farmer welfare including measures to ensure on-farm biosecurity, effective waste disposal and meat processing, scientific training of farmers in poultry farming, production of safe and edible poultry, sustainable markets and various certifications are examined in detail. It has been decided  to include in the draft proposals that will help ensure sustainable employment and income for the farmers working in this field, along with this.

Dr. A. Kowsigan IAS, Director, Department of Animal Husbandry, Government of Kerala welcomed the gathering. Dr. Aravind, Dr. Binoy Chacko, Dr. Harikrishnan S, Dr. Surya Shankar, Dr. Jess Varghese, Dr. Punyamoorthy, Dr. Sreenivas Gupta, Dr. Naushad Ali, Dr. Tony Jose, Dr. Natarajan, Dr. Eapen John, Dr. Rana Raj, Dr. Chandra Prasad, Dr. Swapna Susan Abraham, Dr. Selva Kumar, Dr. Bijulal, Dr. Sajeev Kumar, Dr. Sunil, Dr. Anuraj and Dr. Sudhi R spoke on various topics. Along with Kudumbashree, representatives of KEPCO, Brahmagiri Development Society and Meat Products of India, which are working as part of the Kerala Chicken Project, also participated in the workshop.
                                                                                                   
Kudumbashree and the Department of Animal Husbandry joined hands to prepare an approved operating procedure to be adopted in the production process and distribution chain in a situation where the consumption of meat containing antibiotic residues in the market poses a global threat to public health. Kerala Chicken is a scheme conceived and implemented by the Government of Kerala with the aim of providing quality chicken meat to consumers at reasonable prices and producing at least fifty percent of the domestic consumption here.