Making Women Self-Reliant Through Usha-Common Service Centre Certification

In a time when our phones have become an extension of ourselves, we now rely on them for more utilities, entertainment, transport and food options than ever. For a vast number of women across India, the smartphone revolution is leading them to their vocation, providing not only their livelihood but also their self-confidence. For about three years, the USHA Silai Mobile App has been a powerful tool in the hands of thousands of women. And now Usha is taking the reach of this technology to another level, by providing certification to the women who benefit from the sewing and tailoring course in the app, coming full circle in its pursuit of making women swavalambi, or self-reliant.

Also Read: Usha Silai App - Teaching Women The Art Of Stitching And Sewing

To see how this app is changing the lives of women, we travel, to Mysuru, Karnataka.

Yashodha is a village-level entrepreneur who works at her own Common Service Centre. Common Service Centres (CSCs) are physical kiosks that aid in providing the government's digital services, to people in rural and remote areas, which lack digital infrastructure. The CSCs have been set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, to oversee the implementation of CSC schemes, which provide a centralised collaborative framework for the delivery of services to citizens.

Yashodha has been working in the CSC since 2014, helping the public access everything that comes under the state and central government. Explaining her work, Yashodha said,

This includes anything a person might need from birth till death. Any government service meant for the public, we ensure it reaches the public.

Usha and CSCs are engaged in skill development and promoting entrepreneurship. They have an in-depth rural presence and rich experience, with exposure to working in remote geography of the country. By leveraging their respective strengths, these entities are making a substantial contribution towards achieving the vision of a digitally inclusive and economically empowered rural India. As private-public collaborations continue to shape social initiatives, partnerships like these showcase the immense potential for positive transformation at the grassroots level.

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Sanjay Kumar Rakesh, Managing Director of the Common Services Centers said,

In the rural area, sewing or stitching skill is a commonly used and needed skill. When Usha, a well-known brand in the sewing industry, approached us that they have an app and want to train women using the app and provide certificates upon completion of a course, we were elated to collaborate. Usha Silai app takes advantage of advancements in information technology and allows the person to learn the basics of stitching and sewing in the comfort of home.

The wide array of services that Yashodha seeks to make easily available to her community is often not known to the very people whom it is intended for. To address this lack of awareness, and to guide the people who might not know where to go, Yashodha goes a step further to become the vital link between the services and the beneficiaries through her centre – a single stop to address almost every facet of civil life.

Yashodha said,

The services provided by the government are for the public. If I only provide these services through a shop, then they won't reach as many people. They will only reach those who come to our CSC. I visit nearby villages, bus stands and areas behind the hills and conduct awareness camps. I go to the hospitals and get people registered there so that they can avail benefits of government schemes.

It is through this centre that Yashodha assists the women of her community in receiving a joint certification from Usha and Common Service Centre, giving them the validation and credibility to take their sewing skills forward in the industry.

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Yashodha explained,

It started in May 2023. The Usha certificate that CSC is helping people receive is quite a major deal and people are very happy with it because getting a certificate was a problem. People cannot apply for a loan without a certificate. I have registered more than a hundred members.

That was exactly what happened with Nagina Banu, who despite having received her training, was struggling to get her certificate.

Nagina Banu, Entrepreneur at Usha Silai School in Mysuru said,

Last year, my husband came here for his Aadhar work. He met Yashodha Madam, and it was she who had told him about the app. I came over here, appeared for the test and passed in the first attempt. Yashodha downloaded the certificate right here within one hour of my result. I have applied for a loan for the machine and will start my work once it arrives.

The social impact of the certification is a collective achievement of the whole Usha and CSC ecosystem. Designed with the intent of engaging and helping women learn, the app provides flexibility of use, along with a real-time assistance feature, in case of queries. After being trained through the app, and having received their certification, the women also have the option of registering themselves on e-commerce platforms like the GeM or Government e-Marketplace portal or the Confederation of Women Entrepreneur (CO-WE Mart) for selling their products.

For the women who receive the tailoring certification, it is only the beginning of their journey, to make a living for themselves, to be self-reliant and empowered, to have the means to provide for their children, and to embolden other women to pursue their potential, as well.

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