14 years of Kudumbasree: Mission well accomplished
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As Kudumbasree celebrates its 14th anniversary in Kochi, Deccan Chronicle takes a look at the social revolution brought by it. The Centre now wants to replicate it across the country.
Kerala tribal welfare minister, P.K. Jayalakshmi admitted recently that she owed a great deal to the Kudumbasree Mission.
Started as a programme to eradicate poverty and empower women over a decade ago, Kudumbasree’s reach is far wider now.
And so impressed is the Union government by its success that it is looking to replicate it across the country.
Union rural development minister, Jairam Ramesh, who sees Kudumbasree as a unique programme has set the ball rolling to borrow components of it for other schemes.
“We plan to incorporate elements of the Kudumbasree mission in national programmes of my ministry,” he told the Deccan Chronicle.
Officials in the ministry say the National Rural Livelihoods Mission could take a few tips from Kudumbasree, which has over 37 lakh members.
When the mission first embarked on entrepreneurial ventures in early 2000 and took over operation of canteens at several bus stations and even some industrial units, it invited a great deal of scepticism.
Mr T.K. Jose, who headed the mission in its formative years and is presently the chairman of the Coconut Development Board, recalls that the initiative turned out to be a success and developed entrepreneurial skills among women, proving its critics wrong .
Kudumbasree units now even do catering for wedding receptions and run modern cafeterias in Kochi. Panchayat minister M.K. Muneer, says more such cafeterias will be set up in all districts of the state.
For T. Jayaraj of Wadakkancherry in Thrissur district, Kudumbasree came as a godsend as it made paddy cultivation viable.
When farmers in the area began giving up farming in the Nineties owing to dearth of labour, it was the entry of the Kudumbasree Mission in the form of self-help groups that revived cultivation.
This model became a success and the mission formed a ‘Haritha Sena’ to help the farmers of Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram areas.
The scheme later spread to other districts and now most farm labour is provided by the mission, even to rubber plantations.
But to sustain and grow , Kudambasree needs to collaborate with research organisations, suggest experts .
Fresh initiatives
Bring the around 80 products under the Kudumbasree Brand
* Introduce quality management for products
* Introduce more cafeterias in the state
* Homeshops where products are supplied at the doorsteps
* Bring in more people under the mission
* Standardise the canteens and hotels run by the mission
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