Aditya Aluminium company is promoting at least 49 self help groups (SHG) in a host of income generating activities in Odisha's Sambalpur district.
The Aitya Birla group company is taking innovative CSR intiatives to enhance the leadership qualities and intervention capacities of women and integrate community development in its plant areas, company officials said.
These center round promoting SHGs and helping rural women start ventures like pisciculture, poultry farming, horticulture, phenyl production and tailoring.
"We are working for furthering empowerment of women in villages at our plant periphery by facilitating the formation of 49 women SHGs. In last the three years we have encouraged women to explore income generating activities," says Bibhu Mishra, the COO of Aditya Aluminium.
Today, nearly fifty per cent of these 49 SHGs have the opportunity to earn a livelihood. Most of them have got bank linkages and government benefits, he said.
The pisciculture project by Nikhil SHG at Bhuliadihi village has made profit of Rs 1,26,000 per annum. Members Laxmi Naik and Susama Meher said they have invested their share of profits in giving better education to their children.
Likewise phenyl production by Maa Laxmi SHG of Pondaloi is fetching their members Rs 6,000 per month. This SHG has worked to improve employment opportunities and an increase in their participation in economic activities.
Besides, Aditya Aluminium is also supporting rural SHGs in creating area-specific and need-based livelihood programmes. Women of the locality who were earlier engaged in hazardous jobs like bidi making due to compulsion, are now suitably engaged through these SHGs.
Aditya Aluminium, in association with the district administration and NGOs, organises training programmes on health, social, economic and livelihood issues for the local women to help them comprehend their capacity to modify the system for the next generation.
Programmes like mega SHG meets and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan are organised at regular intervals to educate people on various socio-economic and health issues.
Rengali Child Development Project Officer Chhabirani Mohanty said the company has approached the rural women livelihood issues in very strategic manner. "Aditya Aluminium has achieved many milestones by streamlining its initiatives into varied businesses and making them sustainable in income generation."
"Steps taken by Aditya Aluminium for women empowerment through awareness, education, livelihood programmes are impressive and we deeply appreciate the move," commented Bomaloi Panchayat Sarpanch Shubhadra Bag.
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