Expressbuzz, Feb 20, 2009
BHAWANIPATNA: Without help of any kind from any organisation, a group of 12 women of Badkarlakot village of Kalahandi have scripted a success story. Women from socially marginalised sections of village do not go for menial labour any longer and the trend of low literacy stands reversed. Creation of Ghumeraswar SHG in the village has triggered a dynamic economic activity at the grassroots level in the village.
Badkarlot is a small village mostly inhabitated by Bhatra tribal people who depend on agriculture. Five years back, 12 women of the village formed an SHG chipping in from their little savings. They got 20 acres of village pond land from the gram panchayat on lease of Rs 4000 per annum for five years. Since last three years, they have been doing pisciculture under the guidance of Watershed Mission which provided them technical knowhow and a revolving fund of Rs 15,000. The SHG manages to earn an annual profit of Rs 80,000 after meeting all the expenses. The revolving fund of Watershed Mission has also been repaid.But the SHG members instead of distributing the profit among themselves invest it for a noble purpose. The profit amount is invested for management and meeting ancillary expenses of a private high school in the village.
“We could not get an oppurtunity to educate ourselves but we cannot see our children going through the same. Therefore, we planned to invest profits earned from our SHG for management of the school,” president of the SHG, Maya Majhi said.
The project director of Watershed Mission, Kalahandi, Santosh Khatua said pleased by the SHG’s initiative, the Mission has decided to provide another Rs 50,000 to assist the SHG in taking up fresh water prawn cultivation.
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