Usha Silai Schools: Partnering For Sustainable Progress
Usha Silai Schools' Kushalta Ke Kadam unites with NIRDPR and state governments, transforming West Bengal transgender artisans, Telangana tribal stitchers, and Meghalaya embroidery preservers into empowered livelihoods
In a bright training room in West Bengal, transgender participants sit attentively at Usha sewing machines under the NIRDPR-CIRDAP Action Lab for Inclusive Livelihoods, guided by a skilled Usha instructor. Amid colorful fabric rolls and pattern charts, they practice precise stitches on apparel pieces, embodying the program's focus on skill-building for economic dignity and social inclusion, with PLEQSUS India Foundation ensuring a supportive environment that breaks barriers and fosters self-employment for marginalized communities.
Sudeb Suvana, Director of PLEQSUS India Foundation, engages with a group of transgender entrepreneurs in West Bengal, discussing future dreams of forming a trans-led company amid sewing stations filled with completed garments. The scene captures gratitude toward NIRDPR and Usha for opening new paths, where tailoring becomes a gender-neutral profession offering respectful, sustainable income and the chance to revive community dignity through entrepreneurship and role-model creation.
In Mulugu district, Telangana, women from remote villages gather in a Usha Entrepreneurs Initiative training center, stitching school uniforms under the guidance of district administration and Usha coordinators. Focused hands operate machines on bulk orders, reflecting the partnership's impact as participants like Prashanthi learn advanced designs, earn from local needs, and support children's education, transforming dependency into household bargaining power and community stability.
District Collector Sri T.S. Divakara, IAS, visits a Chalwai training cum production center in Mulugu, observing women confidently managing cutting and stitching of uniforms and traditional wear. Amid machines donated by Usha and piles of completed garments, his leadership underscores the circular economy vision-providing latest skills, sustained work orders, and pathways to bulk contracts with apparel companies, empowering rural women to lead economically without migration.
In Meghalaya's Training Cum Production Centres, women from MSRLS collaborate with Usha master trainers to revive Khneng embroidery on traditional fabrics, blending heritage stitches with modern designs. Amid vibrant threads and looms, participants prepare pieces for the Saras Aajivika Fair fashion show, where they walk the ramp in self-stitched garments, showcasing the six-year partnership's success in creating sustainable livelihoods, cultural preservation, and national recognition for matrilineal empowerment.
Do you want to be a part of the huge change that Usha Silai School is bringing about in the lives of millions of rural women? With just a simple click of a button, you can now contribute towards the opening of an Usha Silai School or support various other aspects of the school.
Kushalta Ke Kadam, an initiative by USHA Silai School and NDTV has entered its eighth season. The aim is to empower more women across rural India by teaching them sewing skills and helping them open new doors of opportunities for themselves. The initiative encourages rural women to become financially independent and entrepreneurs by taking up sewing and training others in their respective communities.
Since 2011, the USHA Silai School initiative has trained more than 12 lakh rural women through over 33,000 Silai schools, spanning over 20,751 villages across India.
The women earn Rs. 4,000 – 5,000 per month on an average, with the highest recorded monthly earning being Rs. 84,000 in a month. This earning works as a catalyst towards building their self-confidence, reducing gender inequities, and raising their stature within their families and in society at large.
Team NDTV | Thursday January 29, 2026From West Bengal's transgender tailors to Telangana's tribal seamstresses and Meghalaya's embroidery revivalists, Usha Silai School's Kushalta Ke Kadam partners with NIRDPR and state governments
- Team NDTV | Tuesday February 03, 2026
In Odisha's mining heartlands, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited teams with Usha Silai School's Kushalta Ke Kadam and Gram Utthan, empowering tribal women turning them into entrepreneurs
- Written by Team NDTV | Friday January 02, 2026
Usha Silai Schools give second chances to women like Srinagar's Marifat, who rebuilt after widowhood; Madhya Pradesh's Jyoti, escaping abuse to run her own center; and Rajasthan's Vimla, rising from child marriage to tailor and teacher. Through nine-day training, they gain sewing skills, confidence, and income proving one stitch mends lives and inspires communities.
- Team NDTV | Friday December 26, 2025
A new wave of corporate-community partnerships is equipping rural women with skills, income and confidence
- Written by Team NDTV | Friday December 12, 2025
USHAs Silai School Programme empowers women across India by turning sewing into independence. Women become trainers and leaders, transforming their lives and communities through skills, confidence, and income
- Written by Team NDTV | Thursday December 11, 2025
USHA Silai School is empowering women across India by turning sewing skills into leadership and income. Women like Lalita, Yashira, and Pushpakala have become mentors, reviving traditions and building stronger communities. Their stories show how one skill can weave a brighter future.
