Kudumbashree Mission has launched the website www.naattuchantha.com to give away information on the weekly markets being organised by Kudumbashree CDS in all districts across the state. The website was launched on 1 April 2018 and it gives away the details including the district, the name of the CDS and the venue at which the weekly market is being held.The weekly market website is being updated by the Block Co-ordinators in the districts. The website also gives the information on sales report which include the number of Blocks, number of markets conducted, the quantity of the JLG products, quantity of the non JLG products and the total sales recorded during the weekly units. The photographs from different weekly markets organised across the state are uploaded in the website.

Mahila Kisan Sashakthikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), the sub component of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) aims at increasing the visibility of women in agriculture, reducing drudgery and providing a better livelihood opportunity by adopting sustainable and eco friendly agriculture. Kudumbashree, the programme implementing agency (PIA) for Kerala, has undertaken the project through the institution of Joint Liability Group (JLG) of women farmers. Presently Kudumbashree facilitates 60000 joint liability groups undertaking cultivation in 55000 hectors of land. Paddy, Banana, Tubers and vegetables are the major crops.

For ensuring better marketing opportunities and avoid middle man exploitation Kudumbashree started weekly markets across the state and the Mission has provided infrastructure facilities to 450 CDS.

Kudumbashree Pathanamthitta District Mission opened Adolescent friendly Refreshment Centre at Kendriya Vidyalaya at Adoor, Pathanamthitta. The Adolescent friendly Refreshment Centre would give away steam cooked snacks to the children of Kendriya Vidyalaya. The Adolescent friendly Refreshment Centre would completely avoid the junk foods. Smt. R.Girija, District Collector, Pathanamthitta inaugurated the Adolescent friendly Refreshment Centre. District Collector said that the other schools in the district should follow this model.

The kiosk aims at developing a healthy food culture among the students thereby inspiring them to live in touch with the nature. The health issues usually caused to the students are because of their unhealthy food habits like having junk foods. Only by following a healthy food culture a healthy generation could be built.  The Adolescent friendly Refreshment Centre would therefore create a better and healthy food culture among the students of Kendriya Vidyalaya located at Adoor, Pathanamthitta.

Tribal Kudumbashree team leaders from Attappady visited Shri. T. K. Jose IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Local Self Government Department,Government of Kerala on 05 April 2018. The leaders discussed about the various developmental activities that could be implemented in Attappady. It was suggested to increase the representation of Scheduled Tribes in MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), government’s job guarantee plan in India which offer 100 days employment guarantee in rural areas. It was also suggested to allocate construction works of LIFE Mission to the ST workers and to bring food to the MGNREGA sites through Community Kitchen. In connection with MGNREGA, it was also suggested to start cultivating fruits such as mango, chickoo, gooseberry etc. The tribal Kudumbashree team leaders were asked to submit a proposal to build office of Kudumbashree Mission in the land which would be provided by KILA. The Attappady team leaders demanded for legal aid support and education support. It was decided to call a meeting at Attappady in connection with MGNREGA Project.

The 20 tribal leaders from Attappady project included Block Samithi President, Secretary, Committee Members, Panchayath Samithi leaders, Tribal Kudumbashree Animators, Community Resource Persons and Panchayath Co-ordinators. Shri. Harikishore IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree Mission, Shri Balachandran, Project Officer, MGNREGA and other officials from LIFE Mission also attended the function.

The Superwomen of Harithakarmasena in Karulayi Panchayath are keep on changing the life of a village altogether! With commitment and confidence in themselves they are making Karulayi Panchayath a better place to live in. A group of few women came forward to keep their place clean believing that it’s something more than a job. The main aim of the programme was to make Karulayi, a waste free panchayath. To minimize the use of plastic and to make people aware of the hazardous effects of plastic, collect and send them for recycling and to decompose the biodegradable waste etc were the main aim of the programme.

15 people were identified as green technicians in the village. The service of Mr. Ibrahim, an expert in a waste segregation was made used for collecting the waste and sending them to the recycling units. 12 tonnes of non biodegradable waste was sent for recycling. An amount of Rs 20 was collected from the households and Rs 50 was collected from shops as user fee. Special notices were distributed among the households and shops. Publicity was also given to spread the message to everyone. A carry bag was given to store the wastes. A vacant space in a remote place in Karulayi was chosen to segregate the wastes. A tie up was done with Green Worms Eco Solutions, a social impact enterprise based in Calicut, for collecting the non biodegradable waste and to process it further. Kudumbashree women collected the waste store in each households and shops and took it to segregate and sent it to the Green Worms for further processing. The waste is segregated into different sections based on its features. H.M White, P.P, H.M, LDPrint, Bajar, Ganny, Bulb, PVC, steel, tubes, bottle, E- waste, LD(Glucose), Bottle caps, Spray bottle etc.

Uniform, shoes, gloves, baskets, face masks, knives etc were given to the green technicians for performing segregation activities. The waste is being collected from the households in monthly basis and from shops in weekly basis. A card was distributed among the people to record the user fee collected. The card includes the date waste was collected, the quantity of waste collected, the amount collected from the households/ shops and signature. This was made compulsory to maintain a transparent and fruitful association between those who collect waste and the house owners. For disposing the rejects (Glass wastes, bags, umbrellas, foot wears) Rs 27,000 would be paid for the company from Panchayath Fund. Separate register was kept for weighing the amount of the different category of wastes. While sending the waste to Green worm Eco Solutions, presence of Panchayath President, Secretary / concerned official and health inspector is ensured. A review meeting is also held once in 2 months including all the ward members.

Following the success in the first phase of implementation, the second phase was launched in August 2017. Around 43 ton of waste had been sent so far, out of which 6500 Kg of recyclable plastic and 36000 Kg were rejects. In the first phase, panchayath hadn’t paid any money. The agency used to took away the waste; only user fee was collected. It was in the second phase tat bags were distributed among the households/ shops for storing the waste. Rs.50 is collected from medium shops and Rs.100 is collected from big shops as user fee in weekly basis. Rs.20 is collected from households as user fee in monthly basis.

Haritha Karma sena is a professional team consisting of Green Technicians and Green Supervisors mainly Kudumbashree Women who will be assigned with the responsibility of collection, transportation, processing, recycling / disposal, and management of waste materials in association with respective LSGs and Suchithwa Mission. Green Technicians are trained man power recruited to provide technical services and solutions on waste management projects. One Green Technician has to visit 250 households in a ward. In one Ward two Green Technicians will be positioned and one supervisor for managing 15 Wards. The Collection of user fee will be the responsibility of Green Supervisor. Haritha Sahaya Sthapanams the accredited agencies of Haritha Kerala Mission which will provide technical assistance to the Haritha Karma Sena.

There are 15 wards in Karulayi, with an area of 135 Sq.kilometres. The Population of Karulayi is around 26000 with around 6000 families. The programme have a huge relevance that such an initiative had altered the attitude of the people in and around Karulayi that they think twice before throwing a plastic cover away. In fact, the inhabitants of Karulayi has minimised the usage of using plastic and a better civic sense had been evolved among the people regarding the usage of plastic and other waste. Knowing the success story of Karulayi Panchayath in waste management, many other panchayaths have consulted them to study the Karulayi model of waste management. Harithakarmasena of Karulayi is committed to bring about a positive change in the sector of waste management. Envisioning a healthier, clean and green world that complements a human generation living in harmony with nature.

Organised by Kudumbashree Mission, the national food and cultural expo, 'Saras Mela 2018' , offering the best of traditional food and artistry, concluded carving out yet another era in the history by drawing record sales and massive crowds. A total sale of more than Rs 7 crores was recorded from the stalls and food courts of the 10 day long Mela conducted at the ground near Market, Pattambi, Palakkad from 29 March 2018 to 8 April 2018.

Regarding the sales at the Food Court, a total sale of Rs 51,60,870 was recorded. Goa bagged the award for the best food court among the partner states. Chaithanya Cafe of Attappady and Punarjanmam Juice World won the Award for the Outstanding Performance. Alif Cafe of Kozhikode was selected as the Best Kerala Food Court. Muthuthala Panchayath, Ongaloor Panchayath and Pattambi Municipality won the awards for the best processions. Shri. P.K Sumesh of Deshabhimani Daily bagged the award for the Best Reporting ( Print Media). Shri. Mohan Charaparambil of Madhyamam Daily won the second prize for the same. ACV, PCV and STV bagged the awards for the Best Covering of Saras Mela 2018 in Visual Media. Smt. K.P Shailaja bagged the First Prize at the Essay Writing Competition organised in connection with Saras Mela 2018.

Micro entrepreneurs from 25 states across the country including Kerala had became the part of the programme. Around 250 stalls were opened, out of which 100 stalls were of other states. The 70,000 sqft big pavilion and food court was the main attraction of the Mela. Saras Mela 2018 became a huge success because of the active participation of the people and organised work of the organising team. 22 food stalls were opened at the food court offering the people of Pattambi, a special chance to taste the wide range of cuisines from different parts across the country. Out of the food stalls, 13 were from Kerala and 9 were from other states. The cultural programmes arranged daily at the Mela indeed became a visual treat for those who gathered at the Saras Mela. Artists and celebrities also took part in the programme adding more fame to the event.

The programme strictly followed green protocol. Therefore, the 'eco-friendly' Mela held at Pattambi is attracted more and more people and added more colour to the festive days of Kerala. Saras Mela 2017 was kickstarted when Dr. K.T Jaleel, Minister, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala officially inaugurated the programme.

It is for the third time that Kudumbashree Mission is organising Saras Mela. Last year, Saras Mela was conducted at Safari Maidan, Malappuram which recorded a sale of Rs. 6.54 Crores. The first saras Mela was was conducted at Ashramam Ground, Kollam which made a sale of Rs.4.6 Crore. The Saras Mela 2018 was indeed a celebration of food, art and culture in this festive season and was wholeheartedly received by the neighbouring districts as well which resulted in the grand success of the programme.

Shri M.B Rajesh, MP inaugurated the Valedictory function. Shri. Muhammed Muhsin, MLA presided over the function. Shri. T.R Ajayan, Social Activist and Smt. Sahira Kuttipuram, Poet were felicitated during the programme. Dr. Khadeeja Mumthaz, Writer and Shri. P. Raman were also present at the function. Dance-Drama programmes were also presented at the function. Shri. P. Saidalavi, District Mission Co-ordinator, Palakkad welcomed the gathering and Shri. M. Dinesh, Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator, Palakkad extended Vote of Thanks.

The Saras Mela 2018 being held at Pattambi stand out unique.The Saras Mela 2018 follows green protocol, which means that means no plastic is being used at the mela. It is with the help of green protocol committee and Suchithwa Mission that green protocol is being observed at the Saras Fair. The boards, banners, decorations, the arch set up at the entrance etc. are made up of either paper or cloth. The decorations are done with paper, bamboo and sack only. The take away kits being distributed at the mela are made up of cloth and paper. Disposable plates and glasses are completely avoided at the mela. Fibre, ceramic plates and steel glasses replaced the disposable plastic plates and glasses. Even the waste buckets placed at various locations at the mela are made up of bamboo. The biodegradable wastes and non degradable wastes are sorted out by the Harithakarma sena members. The biodegradable wastes are being sent to pig farms.

The volunteers are giving away leaflets to the visitors to remind them about the green protocol being observed at the Saras Mela premises. The wastes are disposed in daily basis. The Harithakarma sena members are cleaning the mela premises in regular intervals. Therefore, the 'eco-friendly' mela being held at Pattambi is attracting more and more people and are adding more colour to the festive days of Kerala. The lost and found section of the mela is so active that the visitors are finding the mela more trustworthy.The Saras mela 2018 is being wholeheartedly received by the neighbouring districts as well which results in the grand success of the programme. The Mela will come to an end on 8 April 2018.

Saras Mela 2018, the national food and cultural expo organised by Kudumbashree Mission, offering the best of traditional food and artistry is carving out yet another era in the history by captivating huge crowds. Saras Mela 2018 was kick started when Dr. K.T Jaleel, Minister, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala officially inaugurated the programme at the ground near Market, Pattambi, Palakkad on 29 March 2018. A sale of Rs 3.95 crore had been recorded so far, out of which Rs 3.63 crore is from the sales stalls and Rs. 30.8 lakhs from the food stalls.

Micro entrepreneurs from 25 states across the country including Kerala had joined the programme. Around 250 stalls are opened, out of which 100 stalls are of other states. The 70,000 sqft big pavilion and food court is the main attraction of the Mela.

Saras Mela 2018 is becoming a huge success by the active participation of the people. 22 food stalls were also opened at the food court offering a chance to taste wide range of cuisines from different parts of the country. Out of the food stalls, 13 are from Kerala and 9 are from other states.

The cultural programmes arranged daily at the mela is indeed being a visual treat for those who gathered at the Saras Mela. Artists and celebrities are also taking part in the programme. The programme is strictly following green protocol. Therefore, the 'eco-friendly' mela being held at Pattambi is attracting more and more people and are adding more colour to the festive days of Kerala. The Saras mela 2018 is being wholeheartedly received by the neighbouring districts as well which results in the grand success of the programme. The Mela will come to an end on 8 April 2018.