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Amidst the crisis of covid-19 pandemic, 47 DDU-GKY students are all set to go to Malaysia & Middle East after securing Foreign Placements through Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), the skill training programme jointly being implemented by the Central-State Governments in Kerala through Kudumbashree. They had completed their training in the same course, that too from the same training centre. It is a notable fact that, it is amidst the crisis of the covid-19 pandemic, that these much students have secured foreign placements. And now, the number of students who had secured foreign placements through the DDU-GKY programme being implemented through Kudumbashree has became 350. 

The students who had completed the Injection Molding Machine Operations Course from Central Institute of Petrochemical Engineering and Technology (CIPET), the Central Government Institute at Palakkad has secured placements at Malaysia and Middle East Countries within two months. The Visas for them had already been issued. Sujeesh, Shihabudeen, Mubasheer, Jithesh K S, Muhammed Favas, Unnikrishnan, Sreenath K R, Jishnu Arakkingal, Sreerag K, Sanjay K V, Shahinsha, Sulthan Basheer, Samsad, Muhammed Shafi, Akshay M K, Afsal M A, Naseeb Rahman, Jishnu K, Muhammed Junaid K, Jagan C J, Sandeep, Sanal G P, Shyamjith, Arjun K K, Premjith, Jithin, Kamal Kumar, Rahul Krishnan, Junaid K, Jithil T T, Muhammed Yasin K, Vishnu K K, Abijith K K, Abhilal Abhayan, Abdul Hashim Sunaid, Christo Jose, Ijlal T I, Nimal Mohanan, Nitheesh K,  Shahil Siraj T P, Sharshad K, Ubaidh K K, Hareesh Murali, Muhammed Swalih VM, Mohammed Thamseed, Ibrahim M H and Shuhaib are the 47 students who had secured the foreign placements through DDU-GKY.  

The poor rural youth between 18 to 35 years of age is extended free skill training in various 26 sectors such as Tourism Hospitality, Electronics, Healthcare etc, through DDU-GKY. Those who have completed the courses as part of the programme has secured foreign placements in various foreign countries such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Spain.

Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission is all set to create an egg revolution through the Community Enterprise Fund of National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). The 'Kozhiyum Koodum' Programme has been kick started at Kasaragod district under the leadership of Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission. The Programme is being implemented using the Community Enterprise Fund (CEF) allotted by Kudumbashree State Mission for Kasaragod district.

The programme aims at making available at least two eggs per head a week for Kudumbashree members and their families and to improve the livelihood sector of the women. Kudumbashree Kasaragod District had decided to observe 2020-21 Financial year as 'Silver Revolution Year' and on it's basis, they had chosen to give Community Enterprises Fund (CEF) loan as stall installments to the selected CDSs in the district and encourage backyard egg production. 

A total of 122 units including 20-25 layer poultry chicks had been distributed to the individual beneficiaries of 3 CDSs in the district until now. Out of them, 80 beneficiaries have received the chicks and the coops. Actions would be taken to make available the coops by making use of the convergence with the MGNREGS. The District Mission would give 'Chicks & Hoops' to 90 individual beneficiaries in 4 CDSs through CEF by the end of October. The backyard egg production programme would be implemented in the remaining CDSs, once the Special Livelihood Fund would be received. Kasaragod District Mission has also started the efforts to make available the Black Chicken (Kadaknath) and coops to the BUDS Children of Parappa and Karadukka Block Panchayats, the Intensive Blocks in the district.

Rural Self Employment Training Institutes(RSETIs) are the organizations that function to find solutions for the unemployment of the rural youth by extending them skill training and thereby equipping them to find self employment and make entrepreneurship development possible. Smt. P.I Sreevidya IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree launched the Annual Report 2020-21 of the RSETIs in Kerala at Kudumbashree State Mission, Thiruvananthapuram on 20 September 2021.

The  RSETIs under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) function associating with the State Rural Livelihood Missions in the respective states. The LEAD Banks in each district are entrusted with the functioning of the RSETIs. In Kerala, RSETIs function associating with Kudumbashree, the implementing agency of National Rural Livelihood Mission.  Every RSETIs implement more than 56 skill training programmes in Kerala. They have well equipped training centres for the same.

Ms. Saritha R, Assistant Controller, National Academy of RUDSETI, Kerala, Mr. Jayaprakash KR, State Director, RSETI, Mr. Prem Jeevan, Director, Indian Overseas Bank, Mr. S. Jahamgeer, Programme Officer, Mr. Shibu N.P, Mr. Bipin Jose, Mr. Das Vincent. Mr. T Leopole, Mr. K.R Jayan, Mr. G. Sreeraj, Programme Managers, Kudumbashree were also  present on the occasion.

Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission launched 'Kammadi Honey Brand', the product of Honey Village Programme, which is being implemented as part of Kudumbashree's Sustainable Development Special Project for Scheduled Tribes. The brand was launched by Smt. Prasanna Prasad, President, Panathady Grama Panchayath at Kammadi Hamlet, Panathady Grama Panchayath on 19 August 2021. The Kammadi Forest Honey Brand is prepared by the members of the Jwala Honey Unit and Sneha Honey Unit, Kudumbashree enterprises from Kammadi hamlet. The product is available in Kudumbashree Bazaar and other Kudumbashree trade fairs. Kammadi Forest Honey is produced completely in organic way and has great market opportunities.

The first sale of the Kammadi Forest Honey Brand was done by Shri. T.T Surendran, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission by giving the same to Shri. Arun Rangathumala, Member, Parappa Block Panchayath. The function was presided over by Shri. Radhakrishna Gowda, Chairman, Panathady Grama Panchayath Standing Committee. Smt. Soumyamol, Member, Ward 7, Shri, Prakashan Palayi, Assistant District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission, Shri, C.H Iqbal, Assistant District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission, Shri. Prabhakaran, State Programme Manager, Tribal, Shri. Rathnesh P, District Programme Manager,  Shri. Maneesh, Animator Coordinator, Smt. Madhavi, CDS Chairperson, Shri. Belliyappa, Head of the Hamlet, Smt. Lakshmi. P, Animator and members of Jwala Honey Unit and Sneha Honey Unit also attended the function.

Tribal Micro Enterprise units from Attappady bags orders from Supplyco to provide sweets for the onam kits. Rushikondatta, Navarasa, Malleeshwara and Shreenandanam, the four micro enterprise units consisting of 16 tribal women from Attappady would provide 60,000 packets of banana chips and jaggery coated banana chips worth Rs 15.60 lakhs to the onam kits which would be distributed by the Supplyco during this onam season. The banana chips and the jaggery coated banana chips would be given to the Supplyco in the brand name, 'Hill Value'. The banana chips and the jaggery coated banana chips are given to the onam kits of Supplyco, as part of the Attappady Comprehensive Tribal Development and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group Development Project.

The Hill Value unit had already been selling various farm produce in the market under the 'Hill Value Brand. The unit has procured 24 tonnes  of plantain from the Kudumbashree Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) , which had in turn helped a lot many farmers who were facing challenges due to covid-19 pandemic. The JLGs have been producing various traditional crops such as ragi, little millet (chama), jowar, millets , fox tail millet (tina), kodo millet (varagu), sorghum (cholam) and pearl millet (kambham) and have been marketing under the 'Hill Value' brand. The products under 'Hill Value' brand also include coffee, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, pickles, njavara, cardamom, clove, brindleberry, amara, thumara, tamarind, pepper, kungiliyam, honey, sesame, cinnamon etc. Previously, the Hill Value team had participated in the India International Trade Fair (IITF) held at Delhi, the Tribal Fair held at the Kerala Legislative Assembly, the National Sale of Articles and Rural Artisan Society (SARAS) and various other festivals and had earned good visibility and appreciation of thousands of consumers and general public.

In addition to the tribal micro enterprise units from Attappady, Kudumbashree micro entrepreneurs from various districts across the state are busy preparing and supplying sweets for the onam kits of Supplyco. Kudumbashree aims at making maximum use of the onam market to overcome the financial crisis the entrepreneurs had to face during the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of this, Kudumbashree is converging with Supplyco. The tribal micro enterprise units of Attappady are trying to make the most out of this opportunity now.

Kudumbashree is busy setting up 'Kudumbashree Shopee' outlets to market the products of Kudumbashree micro entrepreneurs at the local level. Kudumbashree envisages to start 100 'Kudumbashree Shoppe' outlets all across the state. Sanction had been given for starting 73 'Kudumbashree Shopee' outlets and 15 of them had already started functioning. The activities to launch the remaining outlets is progressing at a faster pace. Now, 'Kudumbashree Shopee' outlets are opened at Vellarada, Pullampara panchayats of Thiruvananthapuram, Budhanoor Panchayath of Alappuzha, Kadavallur Panchayath of Thrissur, Narath Panchayath of Kannur,  Kuruva, Kuttippuram, Vengara Panchayats of Malappuram, Kanjikuzhy Panchayath of Idukki, Puthuppadi Panchayath of Kozhikode and Kottappady, Thiruvaniyoor, Okkal, Ayyambuzha, Mulanthuruthy Panchayaths of Ernakulam District. 'Naadanum Nallathum' (Local & Good) is the tagline of these branded 'Kudumbashree Shopee' outlets. 

The products of Kudumbashree micro entrepreneurs were getting wide acceptance at the monthly markets, the temporary avenues which were started for promoting the products of Kudumbashree micro enterprises. Through monthly markets, it was able to identify markets for Kudumbashree micro enterprises that were in the initial stages. In this background, it was identified that these temporary markets should be turned into permanent marketing outlets. The idea of setting up marketing outlets at the local level was included in the Annual Action Plan 2020-21 of the Kudumbashree Marketing team. The same is included in the Annual Action Plan 2021-22 as well. On this basis, the district teams were directed to identify the spots where monthly markets were being held successfully. They were also asked to identify the spaces at various locations across the state, where the marketing outlets could be launched. Following that, a uniform plan and design of the marketing outlet (designed by the State Mission), which was branded as 'Kudumbashree Shopee' was given to the district teams. The district teams were directed to submit a detailed project proposal and estimate on the spaces identified to start the 'Kudumbashree Shopee'  outlets to Kudumbashree State Mission. After analyzing the same, sanction was given for starting 73 marketing outlets. 

The respective District Missions would own the 'Kudumbashree Shopee' outlets in their districts. The respective CDSs would be in charge of the 'Kudumbashree Shopee' outlets in their respective panchayats. The CDSs may entrust someone for dealing with the marketing and management of the outlets.  A meeting of the entrepreneurs could be convened under their leadership, fix the margins of the products and entrust the entrepreneurs to bring the products to the outlets, on a regular basis. It is the responsibility of the Kudumbashree Micro Enterprise Consultants (MECs) to oversee the activities of the Kudumbashree Shopee outlets and handhold the same. Rs 5 lakh each would be allocated for setting up the outlet. This could be used for the interior functioning, electrification and for purchasing the needed equipment. Also, a Management Committee would be formed at the CDS level for the overall management of the outlets. The Management Committee should include CDS Chairperson, Member Secretary, Accountant,  ME Convener,  Block Coordinator, one CDS member and Micro Enterprise Consultant (MEC) as Managing Committee members. Kudumbashree is making concerted efforts to take the marketing of Kudumbashree entrepreneurs to the next level.