Panathady CDS of Kasaragod district of Kerala had made a made a notable achievement.  Panathady CDS of Kasaragod has excelled by securing the Award for the Best Self Help Group in South India for the year 2022. Panathady CDS was selected for this honor by APMAS (Andhra Pradesh Mahila Abhivriddhi Society) in Hyderabad, which works with the help of NABARD. 

Panathady CDS was selected for the award based on various criteria such as excellent service provided to its NHG members and good governance. The selection was made from a total of 320 nominations.

Kudumbashree entrepreneurs make record sales of Rs. 58,65,862 from India International Trade Fair held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 14-27 November 2022. The fair was jointly organized by India Trade Promotion Organization and the Ministry of Rural Development. Through the two stalls set up at the commercial stall of the fair, products of Kudumbashree entrepreneurs worth Rs. 4,42,901 were marketed. In addition to that, Kudumbashree units have made a sales of Rs. 10,01,795 from the Food Court. 

As part of the India International Trade Fair (IITF), National Rural Livelihood Mission had also conducted Saras Mela. 6 stalls of Kudumbashree entrepreneurs were set up at the Saras Mela and sales of Rs. 44,21,166 was recorded from Saras Mela.

The Kerala Chicken Project has been started in Palakkad district. The District Level Inauguration of the Project was done by Shri. M.B. Rajesh, Minister, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala at Regency Auditorium, Mezhathur, Palakkad on 3 December 2022. He commented that Kudumbashree is traveling to higher levels and related activities are going on. 'Kerala Chicken' was started to provide quality chicken meat to the public at affordable prices.

By utilizing the integrated farming system, Kudumbashree is mainly involved in the supply of poultry meat to the market and the operation of poultry processing units. For this purpose, an initiative called Kudumbashree Broiler Farmers Producer Company Limited (KBFPCL) has been started. Presently Palakkad is the seventh district where the Kerala Chicken Project is being implemented under the leadership of Kudumbashree.

Kerala Chicken outlets cater to women only. The marketing team assesses whether the outlet has a license, proper waste management facility and other infrastructure and then enters into a contract with the outlet beneficiary. This project plays a key role in making Kudumbashree women into entrepreneurs.

Shri. B.S. Manoj, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission welcomed the gathering.  Adv. V.P. Rejeena, President, Block Panchayath presided over the function. Dr Sajeev Kumar A, Programme Officer, Kerala Chicken Project presented the project. Ms. P.K. Jaya, President, Thrithala Gram Panchayat, Ms. Suhara T,  President, Thirumittacode Gram Panchayat, Shri. Balan P, President, Pattithara Gram Panchayath, Ms. Sandhya A.V, President, Chalissery Gram Panchayath,  Shri. K.Muhammad,  President, Aanakkara Gram Panchayath, Shri. Sharfuddin Kalathil, President, Kapoor Gram Panchayath, Shri. A. Krishna Kumar, Chairman, Health Education Standing Committee, Thrithala Block Panchayath, Shri. K.P. Srinivasan, Vice President, Thrithala Gram Panchayath, Shri. K.V. Kubra Shahjahan, Member, Thrithala Block Panchayath, Shri. Aravindakshan T, Chairman, Welfare Standing Committee, Thrithala Gram Panchayath, Ms. Jayanthi Vijayakumar, Member, Thrithala Gram Panchayath, Ms. Saritha R, Member, Board of Directors, Kerala Chicken and others delivered the felicitations. Ms. Sujitha Jayaprakash, Chairperson, Thrithala CDS proposed vote of thanks.

Kudumbashree received State Government's E-Governance Awards in the categories of Mobile Governance and Best Website. E-Governance Award distribution for the years 2018, 2019-20 and 2020-21 was inaugurated Shri. Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister, Government of Kerala at Tagore Theatre, Thiruvananthapuram on 3 December 2022.  The Chief Minister distributed the awards in the e-citizen service delivery category. Shri. V. Sivankutty, Minister of Education, Government of Kerala presided over the function.

Mobile Governance Award for the elderly safety activities implemented through Grand Care Project during the crisis period of covid-19 was received by Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree from Shri. V. Sivankutty, Minister of Education, Government of Kerala along with Shri. Nishad, State Programme Manager, Kudumbashree, Vipin Vilfred and Ms. Vidya V. Nair, State Assistant Programme Managers, Kudumbashree.

E-Governance Award for the Best Website was received by Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree from Shri. V. Sivankutty, Minister of Education, Government of Kerala along with Dr. Maina Umaiban, Public Relations Officer, Shri. Sreebal B.S, Web Administrator, Ms. Chaitanya. G,  Ms. Manjary Asok, Communication Specialists and Ms. Ashamole.N.S, Editorial Assistant.

National Bamboo Conclave organized jointly by National Rural Livelihood Mission and Kudumbashree was held in Ernakulam on 1, 2 December 2022. Shri. Charanjit Singh, Additional Secretary, National Rural Livelihood Mission, officially inaugurated the two-day conclave held at Hotel Olive Downtown, Ernakulam. Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering.

Shri. Jayaram Killi (National Mission Manager, Farm Livelihood, National Rural Livelihood Mission) and Shri. Tony Jose (National Mission Manager, Non-Farm Livelihood, National Rural Livelihood Mission), Shri. Sanjeev Karpe (Director, Konkan Bamboo & Cane Development Centre), Shri. Tony Paul (CEO, Urav), Shri. Abhay Gande (Consultant) and Shri. Isham (Assam Biorefinery) spoke on various topics.

An exposure visit to the Bamboo Festival organized at Ernakulam has also been arranged in connection with the Bamboo Conclave. The Bamboo Conclave provided an opportunity for artisans and organizations working in the sector to interact and exchange new ideas on the uses of bamboo.

Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission organizes Quiz Competition in connection with the Constitution Literacy Programme. The CDS level activities of Kudumbashree's Constitution Literacy Programme was started on 26 November 2022, the National Constitution Day to bring basic information related to the Constitution of India to 46 lakh Kudumbashree families. It is as part of this, Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission organized the quiz competition at the district level, which has attracted a lot of attention.

 The competition was between the CDS teams of the district. CDS from 27 CDSs, a three-member team consisting of Chairperson, CDS Accountant and District Mission Team member in charge of CDS was formed for each CDS.

Indian Constitution, General Knowledge, Kudumbashree Schemes and Bye Law Questions were answered by the CDSs within no time.  After a fierce battle which consisted of five rounds including audio-visual rounds, Meppadi CDS team (Ms. Bini Prabhakaran - Chairperson, Ms. Safia Faisal - Vice Chairperson, Ms. Aswathi - District Programme Manager- Marketing) won the first position.
 
Mananthavady 1 CDS (Ms. Valsa Martin - Chairperson, Ms. Reshma B- MIS Block Coordinator, Mr. Sarath - Micro Enterprise Consultant) came in the second place and Thavinjal CDS (Ms. Sheeja - Chairperson , Ms. Mridula - Accountant and Mr. Siraj - Micro Enterprise/Marketing Block Co-ordinator) secured the third position. Mr. E. Suresh Babu, District Coordinator, Navakeralam Project was the quiz master. Shri. P.K. Balasubramanian, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission and Shri. P. Vasu Pradeep, Assistant District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission and Community Councilors moderated the programme.

At the state level, trainings were organized as part of the constitutional literacy programme in all 1070 CDSs. Constitutional awareness activities are being organized at the NHG level with various programmes in all the districts this past Saturday and Sunday and upcoming Saturday and Sunday. It includes quiz programmes as well as literacy classes, seminars and discussions.

In connection with this literacy campaign, on 1 November 2022, Kerala Legislative Assembly organized a training for 100 Kudumbashree Master Trainers under the joint auspices of the Media and Parliamentary Study Centre (K-LAMPS) and Kudumbashree.

The 'Sudrudam' campaign implemented with the aim of bringing more families under the umbrella of the Kudumbashree organizational system has been a huge success. As part of the campaign, 4673 new NHGs were formed across the state. Through these new NHGs, 53,199 new families became part of Kudumbashree. And 16,891 people became part of the existing Kudumbashree NHGs. 

Another highlight is that 709 elderly NHGs, 168 differently-abled NHGs and 3 transgender NHGs have been formed as part of the 'Sudrudam' Campaign. With this, there is a golden opportunity for the elderly, differently abled and transgenders to get various supports and more from being part of the Kudumbashree system.

As part of the campaign, activities to revive inactive NHGs, accounting training for newly formed NHGs, insurance camps and health camps were organized. In some districts, Balasabha and micro-enterprise formation activities and get togethers for senior citizens were also conducted.

District-wise figures (in order of District, New NHGs, new members, new joiners to the existing NHGs, new elderly NHGs, new differently-abled NHGs, new transgender NHGs, revived NHGs)

1. Thiruvananthapuram  371  4852  1228  111  22    1    30
2. Kollam 296  3824   516  154  15   0   160 
3. Pathanamthitta   98   1142  722   25    2   0   32 
4. Alappuzha   258  3319  1194  42  6  0   129 
5. Kottayam   122    1426   438  18   2   1    25 
6. Idukki   209    2472  213  38   68    0   79 
7. Ernakulam  178   1817  3235  39   1     0   54 
8. Thrissur  734  9213  403   33    5     0    35 
9. Palakkad   671   7376  196   41   10    0    63 
10. Malappuram   501    6215   6535  90  25     0   77 
11. Wayanad   119    1192    223   11   0      0   24 
12. Kozhikode    297    3545      1191   99  10     0   26 
13. Kannur    503    3450  347     3    0      0   22 
14. Kasaragod   316   3356   450   5     2     1    41 

The 'Nayi Chetna' gender campaign organized in all states of India under the leadership of the National Rural Livelihood Mission was launched in the state on 25 November 2022 under the leadership of Kudumbashree. This is a part of the nationwide campaign organized by the central government with the aim of equipping women to recognize and defend against violence and also to provide knowledge about their rights. A core committee has been formed at the state level as part of the four-week long campaign till 23 December 2022.

The campaign started with twenty-five Gender Resource Centers in various districts under Kudumbashree in the state. The activities are based on the theme 'Gender Equality and Gender Based Violence'. Specially prepared leaflets, posters, short films and pamphlets issued by the National Rural Livelihood Mission will be used for the awareness campaign. The campaign will mainly include the follow-up programs of the 'Sthreepaksha Navakeralam' campaign implemented in the state through Kudumbashree in the last financial year. Convergence of various departments has also been ensured.

It is proposed to organize awareness programs regarding the Internal Complaints Committee in the first week. This program is being conducted extensively at the Kudumbashree NHG, ADS and CDS level in collaboration with the Women and Child Development Department. Discussions on the extent to which current services are available to women are organized in all NHGs. In the second week, notices and posters about various services will be prepared by NHGs and displayed in public places. Also, prominent personalities in various fields will be honored at the local level under the leadership of CDS. Sharing the experiences of women survivors of violence is also organized at the ward level.

In the third and fourth weeks, a public meeting will be organized by including representatives of various organizations in each CDS area and activities will be implemented to create awareness for the effective use of various aid organizations against violence. As a part of this, pledge taking at NHG level, rallies at ward level and CDS level, short film exhibition, wall painting will be organized. Special emphasis is placed on ensuring maximum public participation in all activities related to the campaign.

Kudumbashree has bagged two E-Governance Awards of the Government of Kerala. While Kudumbashree's official website (www.kudumbashree.org) won the E-Governance Award for the Best Website, Kudumbashree's Grand Care project was selected for the M-Governance Award for providing various services to the public through mobile phones. The Grand Care scheme was implemented to provide better security to the elderly across the state during the spread of Covid-19. The awards will be presented on 3 December 2022.

The Kudumbashree website was awarded the best website for its ease of use, excellent design, regular updates and in-depth information. Information about Kudumbashree, details of various projects implemented by Kudumbashree in the state including centrally initiated projects, latest information about each project, activities done by Kudumbashree in relation to Covid-19 and floods, news, press releases, publications, best practices and success stories are all available in Kudumbashree's website. Kudumbashree has implemented the Grand Care project in a socially oriented manner with service readiness using three-tier organizational systems and it was considered for the M-Governance Award.

A group NHG members from Kollam district has made their dream of flight journey come true. The NHG members who conquered the sky include a 78-year-old woman.  It's the members of Sreemuruga NHG, Vellanathuruth of Mukumpuzha Ward, Alappad Panchayath of  Kollam District, who set out on a flight journey on 22 November 2022. It was a celebratory trip with flights and visits to shopping malls. 9 people including Ms.Satheerathnam, the 78-year-old from the NHG has enjoyed the unforgettable flight journey.

Ms. Salina Vinayakumar, who is also the secretary of the NHG and former panchayat president and Ms. Sindhu Kumudesan, the president of the NHG, took the initiative to arrange such a trip for their members. The group traveled from Kollam to Ernakulam and then traveled by Kochi Metro before reaching Thiruvananthapuram from Nedumbassery. They also visited the shopping mall in Thiruvananthapuram.

The money for the group flight journey was raised from the profits received from various income-generating activities, including the enterprise they have been running for years called 'Sreemuruga Catering'. Other members of the NHG which was formed on 23 April 1998 include Ms. Suprabha, Ms. Maniyamma, Ms. Usha, Ms. Aisha, Ms. Pen Sakumari, Ms. Jayalakshmi and Ms. Latha. These neighbors are a role model for all who are able to grasp the desires of life with their own hard earned income.