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A Successful Partnership Between USHA International And Rourkela Steel Plant
Team NDTV | Updated: February 20, 2025 16:13 IST
In a bid to empower women in rural Odisha, USHA International and Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) have joined hands to provide vocational training in sewing and stitching. This initiative has not only given women a sustainable source of income but also helped them become financially independent.
Munmun Mittra, General Manager - CSR, Rourkela Steel Plant, said,
"We believe in empowering women by providing them with sustainable skills. This enables them to earn a steady income and grow in the future. We want to integrate these units and add value-added services like embroidery and applique to increase our market reach in both rural and urban areas."
The USHA Silai School Program: Turning Dreams Into Reality
The partnership has led to the establishment of the USHA Training-cum-Production Center (TCPC), where women are trained in sewing and related skills.The training program, which lasts for 35 days, includes a 10-day module on applique work, a traditional craft of Odisha. This customization has helped women create diverse products, increasing their job prospects.
The impact of this initiative has been significant. Women who were previously dependent on their families are now earning a steady income, contributing to the local economy, and creating a better future for themselves and their families.
TB Toppo, Assistant General Manager, CSR, Rourkela Steel Plant, notes,
"The Silai training has been designed in such a way that within a span of 15 days to 1 month, women can gain tremendous knowledge about design, cutting, stitching, packaging, and more."
Stitching A Brighter Future: Enabling Women In Odisha Through The USHA Silai School
This partnership is a shining example of corporate social responsibility and community development.
Rina Tirkey, a beneficiary of the USHA Silai School, shares her experience,
"We were trained for 15 days and learned how to operate a sewing machine, do fitting, cutting, and graph making. We're happy to have learned new skills and are getting a good response from the market for our products."
By empowering women, USHA International and Rourkela Steel Plant are creating a sustainable ecosystem that benefits not only the women but also their families and the local community.
Bijaynand Das, State Program Manager, USHA Silai School, Odisha, says,
“It is heartening to see women earning an income through our training and connecting with the government. Our goal is to provide employment opportunities to women in rural areas, and we are making progress toward achieving that.”
From Homes To Businesses: USHA Transforming Lives In Rural Odisha
In Odisha, where women's empowerment is a focal point of development efforts, such partnerships are crucial in creating a positive impact. By working together, organizations like USHA International and Rourkela Steel Plant can make a significant difference in the lives of women, enabling them to become financially independent and contribute to the local economy.
Published: February 20, 2025 10:30 IST
Team NDTV | Thursday February 20, 2025USHA International and Rourkela Steel Plant empower rural Odisha women through sewing training, fostering financial independence, sustainable livelihoods and boosting local economies
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USHA Silai School empowers rural Odisha women through sewing skills & entrepreneurship. Transforming lives with training, income & community growth
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.
Kushalta ke Kadam: Aiming for Independence Through Stitching
Rebari girls grow up learning traditional embroidery, which along with their new found sewing skills developed at Usha Silai Schools, is helping them earn a living.
Usha Silai School has empowered many rural women to support their family and send their children to school.
The Usha Silai School, established in a small nondescript village that goes by the name of Kottai, is helping empower people from varied communities.
The all-inclusive Usha Silai School Programme covers the entire nation from hamlets tucked between hills to villages cast by the sea.
Vegetables farmers from the Mizoram hills earn very little given the topography of the area. Usha Silai Schools have played an important part in this region by skilling women to financially contribute towards their households.
Usha Silai School learner Lucy has trained seven other women in her community, helping them to become financially independent.
Women like Kaviben from the nomadic Rebari community are finally laying down their roots as they begin to gain financial independence and thereby stability through Usha Silai School.
Usha Silai School, located in the Gujarat's Bhuj village, is enabling rural women to earn as much as Rs. 2,500-4,000 each month.
Usha Silai School, in association with a Gujarat based NGO called Kala Raksha, is trying to bring about a Silai revolution in Bhuj.
Besides training other women from their community, many Usha Silai School learners have become entrepreneurs in their own right.
With sewing becoming easily accessible and lucrative, the silai schools are also helping revive traditional motifs and designs.