Kudumbashree steps into construction sector

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After its success saga in various fields from pickle making to IT business, Kerala's women self-help group Kudumbashree is planning to foray into the construction sector.

To start with, a Kudumbashree unit has embarked on a plan to build a 'model tribal village" at Edakkattuvayal in Ernakulam district. A company called 'Kudumbashree Constructions' is to be registered soon to take up the work.

All its employees, from engineers to masons, will be women.

Paperwork for the registration of the company is under progress and the first assignment of the team is to construct a village for a select group of tribals in Ernakulam district, a top Kudumbashree official said.

"Kudumbashree's construction company will not only provide employment for women, but also prove a solution for increasing shortage of skilled workers," said Kudumbashree executive director K B Valsala Kumari.

As many as 220 Kudumbashree volunteers, with distinct qualifications and skills, have already been imparted training in various construction related works, she said. "Our first work, a village for tribals, is planned at Edakkattuvayal near Kochi. The project is envisaged for rehabilitating 87 tribal families living in the fringes of the district who have no land or house of their own," she said.