Women Micro Enterprises

KudumbashreeKerala State Poverty Eradication Mission

Principal objectives

Identification of poor families through a poverty risk index (a multi-dimensional concept to gaugepoverty, rather than just judging via a shortfall in income or consumption of a family)

organizing women from poor families into NHGs for empowering the women of the poor strata toimprove their individual and collective capabilities

Encouraging thrift and investment through credit by developing informal banks of the poor

Improving incomes of the poor through upgrades of vocational and entrepreneurial skills and thecreation of opportunities for self-employment and wage employment

Guiding Principles

Poverty is not just a question of low income, but also includes otherdimensions such as bad health, illiteracy, lack of social services, etc., as well.

Women households are the cruelest victims of deprivation and therefore, anyprogramme for poverty alleviation must aim at improving the livingenvironment of the women.

It is through creating livelihood opportunities for the women that they can beempowered

Three important features

CBO – PRI Convergence

Universal Coverage

Micro Enterprise Development

Enterprises Development

All members encouraged to start ‘Micro Enterprises’ – using local recourses and financial aid, training, handholding by Mission

MEs started with direct Mission support

• Micro Enterprises – 30,512 (Approx – 1.52 Lakh members incl group & individual)

• Joint Liability Groups (Farming) – 49,632 2.5 L members, Cultivation in 51,113 ha)

• Animal Husbandry – 3734 Groups (Approx – 20,000 members)

• Construction Units – 61 Groups (650 members)

• Producer Companies/Consortiums – 8 (Agri/AH/Dairy, Apparel, Nutrimix, IT – 1500+ members)

Enterprises initiated through internal credit

• Approx – 25K (individual units)

Systems for Micro Enterprise Development

• Micro Enterprises Consultants (MECs)

• Entrepreneurship Development : Skilling & Mgt Services

• Enterprise Development : Technical & Financial services

Micro Enterprises Consultants

• MECs are drawn from the community, trained and placed locally to provide handholding

support to existing and potential entrepreneurs on a chargeable basis.

• 350 MECs across the State / Wide range of services provided by MECs

• Identification of right business opportunities / Identification of right beneficiaries

• Entrepreneur orientation and training

• Development of Business Plan

• Credit linkages - financial and other institutions

• Enterprise setting-up and market linkages

• Performance tracking and advisory

• Book Keeping & Accounting

Entrepreneurship Development : Skilling & Mgt Services

• Pre - General Orientation in livelihoods to all new NHG members

• General Orientation on MEs

• EDP Training

• Skill Training

• Performance Improvement Training

• Accounting Training / Audit support by trained CRPs (KASS)

• Handholding by Micro Enterprise Consultants

Enterprise Development : Technical & Financial services

• Start Up Capital & Interest Subvention

• Technology Fund, Technology Up-gradation Fund, Innovation Fund

• Revolving Fund

• Crisis Management Fund, Community Enterprises Fund

• Marketing Support - Monthly Markets / Home shops / Fairs / Basars

• Clustering & Networking

Types of Enterprises

Priority programmes of Mission :

• Social Start Ups

• Service Providers to Govt. Depts. / Public

• Suppliers to Govt. / Public

• Production / Service Enterprises addressing social needs or Enterprises grabbing new opportunities

CBO Lead Local Enterprises :

• Traditional women enterprises such as Pickle & Soap making Units and Flour & Curry Powder units – Supported by MECs

Social Start Ups

ABC Units

83 Units functioning

• 4462 dogs castrated (adhering to

AWB SOP)

• Humane dog catching / pre & post

operative care

• Rs. 2100/- per dog provided by LSGs

• Rs. 2.25 crores revenue expected in

this FY

She Lodges

• Women managed women

friendly boarding & lodging

• Launched 3 She Lodges / 11 in

pipeline

• 30 persons (10 each)

• Kudumbashree Travels pick &

drop and Food by Café

Kudumbashree

Geriatric Care Service Providers

• 100 Care Givers in each District

• Assistance during hospitalization

/ pre & post hospitalization care

• Assured income of Rs. 15,000/-

pm

• Trustworthy service providers

monitored by CBOs

Rain Harvesting & Dug Well recharging Units

• 265 members (3-5

members in a group) / 3

Districts

• 1076 units being formed /

Scaling up to tap budgetary

provisions of LSGs

• Rs. 8000/- per well for

recharging services

Service Providers to Govt. Depts. / Public

Kochi Metro Facilitation Service

• First women run metro

• All services (ticketing, parking,

customer facilitation, canteen,

housekeeping etc)

• Employment for 780 women

including 23 Transgender

• Planning to extend to CIAL, Kannur

airport, Refineries, Shipyard, RCC etc

E – Seva Kendras

• Situates in Transport

Offices and provides all

services to public related

to Transport Office

• 3 – 5 members in a unit

• 40 Kendras

Facility Management Services - Railway

Stations

• Railway Parking Management (40

Stations across Kerala)

• A/C Waiting Hall Management (5

Major Stations)

• 240 Women employed

Facility Management Services – House

Keeping

• Offices like Spices Board, RBI, Cochin Refineries etc

• 100s of women employed in Customer Care, House Keeping etc

Tourist Amenity Centres

(providing Management, House keeping, restaurant services)

Canteens

Govt. Offices / Secretariat / Legislative Complex / MLA Hostel etc

Suppliers to Govt.

Nutrimix - Food Supplement for Anganwadis

• Nutritious food supplement provided to all Anganwadis of Kerala under the Take Home Ration Scheme (THRS) for children of 6 months to 3 years of age group

• 368 Micro Enterprises Units catering to approx. 3000 anganwadis

• 3680 women employed

IT Enterprises

• 63 Data Processing Units / 5 Hardware Units

• More than 2500 women employed

• Takes up government orders for IT related work such as data entry (Provident fund office, Voters list, Ration card, RSBY works, Disability Census, BPL surveys etc)

Apparel Parks

• 1413 Units across the State

• Supplying Uniforms, coats, over coats for Govt. Deptslike Hantex, Lotteries and to DDU GKY PIAs etc

• Govt. Depts. Can give works without tender

Napkin Units

• Supplying to Schools through LSGDs

• Supply to Medical Services Corporation

Rangashree IEC Units

• Undertakes IEC activities of Govt. Depts. / Missions

Production / Service Enterprises addressing social needs or grabbing

new opportunities

Construction Units Painting Units

Hollow bricks units Road Works Units

Working women Hostel Children’s Day Care Units

Wellness Centres Organic manure & Coir pith

Bus Service Unit RO Plant / Packaged Drinking Water

Flex Printers Cashew Processing Unit

Mechanized Coir Unit Kudumbashree Taxi

Variety of Products Ethnic, hand made, traditional, pure

Handicrafts

Fried & Ready to eat food items

Personal Care

Flours / Masala / Pickles / Squash / Jam / Chutney powder / Payasam mix

Others

Marketing Initiaives

• Monthly Markets

• Trade Fairs• Festival Fairs by Kudumbashree• Fairs by other agencies• Food Fests

• SARAS Fairs / Fairs by I & PRD / IITF / Tourism Dept / etc

• Online Marketing / Kudumbashree Basars

Way Forward

• “A Women Brand with a distinct line of 100+ specialty food products, lifestyle goodsand personal care products manufactured by Kudumbashree women microentrepreneurs

• Women will additionally benefit by being able to sell products at bigger markets andat fair trade prices

• Creation of additional employment and income opportunities for women, who formthe brand’s supply (inputs & outputs) chains

ThanksAjith Chacko

Chief Operating Officer - NRLM