വാര്‍ത്തകള്‍

The 'Jana Galsa' Project aims to give new life to the existing and dying traditional arts in the local area and to provide better employment and income to the local people through these tribal art forms through the formation of enterprises. As the first step of the 'Jana Galsa' Project, which means celebration of the people, Kudumbashree will prepare a comprehensive directory including artists and tribal art forms in the local area of the state. For this, a survey will be conducted in the Scheduled Tribes area.

Enterprises and a State-Level Consortium will be formed as part of the project, including all the local artists under the special projects implemented by Kudumbashree in the local area. Apart from conducting various awareness activities including those of the State Government, opportunities will be provided to these artists in collaboration with institutions like Folklore Academy, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy, KIRTADS. This will provide them with more livelihood opportunities. Kudumbashree will also make efforts to make tribal art forms, culture, rituals and unique food a part of the curriculum in collaboration with the Education Department in connection with this project.

A two-day workshop was organized in Thiruvananthapuram to prepare guidelines related to the 'Jana Galsa' Project and to formulate an action plan. 

Dr. B. Sreejith, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree, Dr. Pramod Payyanur, Secretary, Bharat Bhavan, V.V. Lavlin, Programme Officer, Kerala Folklore Academy, K.M. Bharathan, Registrar in Charge, Malayalam University, Satheesh Kumar. K, Research Associate, SCERT, Neena V, Lecturer, KIRTADS, Chandrajith, Social Media Expert, Bharat Bhavan, Dr. M. Shaheed Ali, Senior Lecturer, District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Palakkad, Dr. A. Muhammed Kabir, Prabhakaran. M. State Programme Manager, Kudumbashree, Sarika. S, State Assistant Programme Manager, Kudumbashree and Preetha G. Nair, State Assistant Programme Manager, Kudumbashree gave leadership to the programme. Kudumbashree District Programme Managers and selected artists from the local area participated in the workshop.

Kudumbashree Mission, the State Poverty Eradication Mission of Kerala which has became a strong presence in the social scenario of Kerala has launched the Season 7 of ‘Kudumbashree Oru Nerchithram’ Photography Competition. The competition aims at motivating the aspiring photographers and to propagate the activities of Kudumbashree Mission through photographs.  Pictures that depict various activities of Kudumbashree will be considered for the competition . The last date for sending the entries is 15 August 2025. There are separate prizes for the General category and the NHG / Auxiliary Group category.

The best photograph in the General Category will receive a cash award of Rs. 25,000. The second best photograph will receive a cash award of Rs. 15,000 and the third photograph will receive Rs. 10,000. In addition, five people will receive a consolation prize of Rs. 2,000 each. In the NHG / Auxiliary Group category, the best  photograph will receive a cash award of Rs. 25,000, the second  photograph will receive Rs. 15,000 and the third  photograph will receive Rs. 10,000 each. Five people will receive a consolation prize of Rs. 2,000 each. The full notification with detailed information can be found on the website link www.kudumbashree.org/photography2025.

One can take photographs based on Kudumbashree NHG meetings, various entrepreneurial activities and agricultural activities carried out by NHG members, Kudumbashree Balasabha, BUDS Institutions and other topics related to Kudumbashree.

Photos can be sent to the email address kudumbashreephotocontest@gmail.com. Photo prints or CDs or pen drives containing unwatermarked photos can be sent to the address 'Public Relations Officer, Kudumbashree State Mission Office, TRIDA Rehabilitation Building, Medical College (P.O), Thiruvananthapuram- 695011.  The entries should be transcribed as 'Kudumbashree Oru Nerchithram Photography Competition'.

The jury, composed of renowned photographers and officials of Kudumbashree Mission will select the winners. Good quality photographs portraying the strength of Kudumbashree, functioning focusing on women empowerment is considered for the ‘Kudumbashree Oru Nerchithram’ Photography Competition, which is being conducted from 2017 onwards. Kudumbashree Mission which envisions eradicating poverty through women in Kerala had successfully completed 27 revolutionary years.

The state-level inauguration of the Kudumbashree CDS Chairpersons' Gathering 'Onnayi Nammal' (We are one) was held in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta on 14 July 2025.M. B. Rajesh, Minister for Local Self-Government, Excise Department and Parliamentary Affairs Department, Government of Kerala inaugurated the gathering. CDS Chairpersons from seven districts from Thiruvalla to Ernakulam participated in the meeting held at Thiruvalla. The Minister also released the CDS-level progress report at the event. These are the Progress Reports describing the activities carried out by the Kudumbashree CDSs in the last four years and the achievements achieved.

The Minister said that Kudumbashree has been able to elevate women to the leadership ranks of the socio-political and cultural spheres of Kerala through its activities over the past quarter of a century and that the Kudumbashree CDS Chairpersons should be able to realize the great goal of a New Kerala. 

Mathew T. Thomas MLA presided over the function. H. Dineshan IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering. George Abraham, President, Pathanamthitta District Panchayat, Anu George, Chairperson, Thiruvalla Municipality, Jiji Mathew, Chairman, District Panchayat Welfare Standing Committee and Leju M. Zacharia,  Municipality Ward Councilor, Santosh Kumar, Deputy General Manager, ABU SBI, Syam Kumar K. U, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree, Usha Rajendran, Indira Bhai, Shanthakumari J, Kairali C, Leelamma V.S, Geetha Sadanandan, CDS Chairpersons also spoke at the function.  Adhila. S, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Pathanamthitta District Mission delivered the vote of thanks.  A special presentation led by the IBCB team of Kudumbashree State Mission on the future activities of Kudumbashree, a presentation of the topics of the districts, a presentation of selected best models, and an open forum were also organized in connection with the meeting. A meeting of CDS Chairpersons from Thrissur to Kasaragod districts will be organized in Kozhikode district by the end of July 2025. 

A new training project is being launched focusing on BUDS Institutions, which are jointly run by Kudumbashree and Local Self-Government Institutions for children with intellectual challenges. Kudumbashree will implement a comprehensive project aimed at the development of teenage children in BUDS Institutions.

Through this comprehensive training project, Kudumbashree aims to find solutions to the problems faced by teenage trainees in BUDS Institutions due to the gap in physical and intellectual development. About 13,000 children in 378 BUDS Institutions in the state will be provided with psychological support through this training project. For this, about 26,000 parents, more than 500 teachers and nannies will also be trained based on specially prepared modules. The training programme will be prepared with the help of doctors from the Psychiatry Department of Government Medical Colleges and prominent Psychologists. The initial Writing Workshop for preparing the module of the programme was organized at the Kudumbashree State Mission Office, Thiruvananthapuram.

H. Dineshan IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree, Dr. Arun B. Nair,  Professor of the Department of Psychiatry, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Dr. Mohan Roy, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Medical College, Kollam,  Dr. B. Sreejith, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree,  Arun P. Rajan, State Programme Manager, Jishnu Gopan, State Assistant Program Manager,  Krishnakumari, State Assistant Program Manager, Ambika, Suji, Vinitha, BUDs School teachers and parents of BUDS Trainees also participated in the workshop. The training modules will be finalized through writing workshops organized in the following days. 

Kudumbashree is launching the ROOTS Campaign with the main objective of strengthening the ADS system in cities. The ROOTS campaign, which stands for 'Rejuvenation of Organization through Ownership, Togetherness and Support', also aims to inculcate a mentoring mindset among Kudumbashree employees. The campaign is being implemented as part of the National Urban Livelihood Mission implemented by Kudumbashree with the aim of eradicating poverty in urban areas.

As part of the campaign, the first phase of training was organized for 138 people selected from among Community Organizers, Multi-Task Employees and City Mission Managers. The campaign aims to assign up to four ADSs to one of the selected Kudumbashree employees and implement empowerment activities through them by providing them with necessary guidelines and advice.

Classes were given as part of the training on various topics such as NHG - The Nucleus of Development, Meeting Procedures in ADSs and NHGs, Documents and Registers to be Maintained, and Duties of a Mentor. In addition, activities in various fields such as Public Speaking, Communication, and Mentoring Skills were also conducted as part of the training programme organized at the Agricultural Cooperative Staff Training Institute, Manvila, Thiruvananthapuram.

Megha Mary Koshy, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree, Sudheer K.B, Programme Manager, Beena. E, Programme Manager,  Nishad C.C, Programme Manager, Prabhakaran M, Programme Manager, Aneesh Kumar M.S, Programme Manager, Prithviraj, Programme Manager, Meghana. S, Programme Manager, Nishant C.S, Programme Manager, Mathew Johny, Mission Executive, Mithun Jawahar, Mission Executive, Seema Chandran, Chalanam Mentor Core Group member, Jayan Pookad, Chalanam Mentor Core Group member, Sreelatha, Chalanam Mentor Core Group member,  Manu. C, Chalanam Mentor Core Group member, Aniyan Kunju, Chalanam Mentor Core Group member and Anil Kumar, Chalanam Mentor Core Group member handled various sessions.

Kudumbashree is providing opportunities for the NHGs who are actively involved in the agricultural, animal husbandry and entrepreneurship sectors to make the most of the potential of fish farming. Kudumbashree plans and implements several activities to create more employment opportunities in the fish farming sector. In this regard, one-day workshops have been organized in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts to provide a clear understanding of various aspects of fish farming to the NHGs.

To ensure additional income for the NHGs working in this sector by utilizing the potential of fish products, fisheries clusters have also been formed in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts. These clusters are working in collaboration with Producer Groups formed in the animal husbandry sector. More than three hundred NHGs have become part of these clusters. Cluster formation is also in progress in Malappuram, Kollam and Alappuzha districts.

As part of the awareness workshop on fisheries-based activities, classes were given on various topics such as fish processing, waste disposal in fish markets, fish marketing potential, value-added fish products and their marketing, factors to be considered while bringing fish products to the market, potential for value-added products, methods of selecting and processing quality fish to generate more profit in the market, temperature control, processing equipment, storage systems, and innovative technologies such as aquaponics and bio floc. The workshop was led by M. Shaji, National Resource Person, National Rural Livelihood Mission and former Joint Director, Marine Products Export Development Authority. More than 600 NHG members participated in the workshops organized in six districts. 

With the slogan 'One lakh jobs by Onam', Kudumbashree has launched a campaign in collaboration with Vijnana Keralam to provide local jobs by providing skill training to women. The campaign was given its final shape at a review meeting of the Chairmen and Secretaries of Local Self-Government Institutions organized at Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) Headquarters Thrissur  \from 3-5 July 2025  under the chairmanship of M.B. Rajesh, Minister,  Local Self-Government Department, Excise Department and Parliamentary Affairs Department, Government of Kerala.  

Dr. T.M. Thomas Isaac, Principal Advisor, Vijnana Keralam, T.V. Anupama IAS, Special Secretary, Local Self-Government Department, H. Dineshan IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree and key department officials also attended the meetings. M.B. Rajesh, Minister,  Local Self-Government Department, Excise Department and Parliamentary Affairs Department, Government of Kerala, Dr. T.M. Thomas Isaac, Principal Advisor, Vijnana Keralam, Dineshan IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree, U.V. Jose IAS (Retd), Executive Director, Suchithwa Mission also participated in the Press Conference organized at KILA, Thrissur on 5 July 2025.

A major problem faced by entrepreneurs in Kerala is the lack of employable workers. Meanwhile, only 20 percent of working-age women are engaged in work outside the home. Kudumbashree aims to increase this to 50 percent in a few years. Kudumbashree is initiating this through this campaign. The campaign will run from July 2025 to September 2025.

The Kudumbashree Snehitha Extension Centres, which were started in collaboration with the Home Department in 84 DySP/ACP offices in the state, are progressing well. Emergency psychological support and counseling services are being provided to those who come to the police stations under the jurisdiction of these offices for various needs through the Extension Centre. The Snehitha Extension Centre started its operations in March this year. In a short period of time, about 1000 cases have been referred to the Snehitha Extension Centres and services have been provided. Therefore, the State-Level Monitoring Committee, which met at the Kudumbashree State Mission Office, decided to intensify the project activities in the state. Counseling services are provided at the Extension Centres two days a week through Kudumbashree's Community Counselors.

Activities to strengthen the project

To create awareness among police officers about the Friendly Police Extension Centres and the services available through them (At the district level, officers of the rank of SHO and Sub Inspector will be specially called and jointly trained by the Home Department and Kudumbashree.

To include this awareness training in the training syllabus for newly joining Sub Inspectors.

To provide expert training to Community Counselors working in Extension Centres.

In unavoidable situations, Community Counselors will conduct home visits and provide counseling and psychological support.

Providing services locally through the Community Counselor in charge of the respective area and Snehitha Gender Help Desk for cases that do not have references from SHO and DYSP.

Tele Counseling if necessary.

Meeting of the District Level Monitoring Committee every month.

Meetings at the rural and city levels in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur districts to evaluate the work.

The monitoring committee was convened under the leadership of H. Dineshan IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree,  Bastin Sabu, Assistant Inspector General, Women and Children. Dr. B. Sreejith, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree, Dr. Mercy Joy Sebastian, Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychology, Medical College, Adv. Shinyraj, Justin Mathew, State Programme Manager, Kudumbashree and Feby D.A. and Sharika. S, State Assistant Programme Managers also attended the meeting.

Kerala shone at the FNHW Two-Day Regional Seminar organized by the Union Ministry of Rural Development in Shillong, Meghalaya. In the seminar, which was attended by fifteen states and two Union Territories, including Kerala, the excellence of various project activities implemented in Kerala through Kudumbashree in the field of social development and the achievements achieved through it were noteworthy. In the seminar organized over two days, the conference of various states commented that Kerala is a world model in the field of social development.

Kerala won applause at the seminar jointly organized by the National Rural Livelihood Mission and the National Mission Management Unit under the Union Ministry of Rural Development. Smriti Sharan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, said that Kerala should be taken as a model in social development activities. Projects like Ujjeevanam implemented by Kudumbashree in the state to eradicate extreme poverty, Kanas Jaga implemented last year to foster creativity in children in indigenous areas, and K-TICK for youth in indigenous areas have won praise from other states. Various states commented at the seminar that 'Happy Keralam' implemented in the health and mental health sector, BUDS Schools for differently abled children, and BUDS Rehabilitation Centres for the elderly are also exemplary.

Apart from Kerala, the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Karnataka, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, West Bengal and the Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry participated in the seminar. Representing Kerala, Dr. B. Sreejith, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree made a presentation on various projects implemented by Kudumbashree in the field of social development. Justin Mathew, State Programme Manager and Krishnakumari R, State Assistant Programme Manager also participated in the programme. Athira, Community Resource Person from Malappuram district shared her successful experiences related to the implementation of the FNHW project. The team also visited various CDSs in Meghalaya.

Kudumbashree Accounts and Audit Service Society-‘KAASS’ has received a Government Order to increase its audit fees. The government has issued a Government Order (G.O.(Rt) No.1557/2025 dated 23-06-2025). The audit fee increase is based on a letter sent  by the Executive Director of Kudumbashree to the Government on 7  February 2025, recommending a seasonal increase in the audit fee rate of KAASS. The 478 Audit members currently working as part of the KAASS team across the state will benefit from this.

Kudumbashree Accounts and Audit Service Society is a special organization operating under Kudumbashree to conduct annual audits of Kudumbashree CDS, ADS, NHGs and Enterprises. The audit fee for auditing financial transactions up to Rs. 50 lakhs in a financial year in rural and urban CDSs is currently Rs. 7150 including chartered accountant fee. This has been increased to Rs.10,000. The audit fee for auditing financial transactions between Rs. 50 lakhs and Rs. 1 crore is Rs. 8450-10,400. This has been increased to Rs. 13,000. The audit fee for auditing financial transactions between Rs. 1 crore and Rs. 5 crores has been increased from Rs 13,000 to Rs. 20,000.

The audit fee for auditing rural and urban ADSs has been increased from Rs. 200 to Rs. 250. There has also been an increase in the fee for auditing NHGs. The current fee for auditing NHGs, including internal loans, linkage loans and other loans, has been increased to Rs 375 for the financial year being audited. The increased fee as per the new order is for audit team members only. The fee for chartered accountants has to be paid separately by CDSs.

There has also been an increase in the fee for auditing NHGs. The current fee for auditing NHGs, including internal loans, linkage loans and other loans, has been increased to Rs 375 from Rs 325 for the financial year being audited. The increased fee as per the new order is for audit team members only. The fee for Chartered Accountants has to be paid separately by CDSs.

A new fee has also been fixed for auditing Kudumbashree enterprises. The audit fee is Rs 2,500 for enterprises with an annual turnover of up to Rs 10 lakhs and Rs 5,000 for enterprises with a turnover between Rs 10 and 25 lakhs. The audit fee is Rs 8,000 for enterprises with an annual turnover of 25 lakhs to 50 lakhs and Rs 13,000 for enterprises with an annual turnover of above Rs 50 lakhs to Rs 1 crore. The entrepreneurs have to pay Rs 16,000 for enterprises with an annual turnover between Rs 1 crore and Rs 5 crores and Rs 18,000 for enterprises above Rs 5 crores.

This is the second time since this Government came to power that the audit fee of the KAASS Audit Division has been increased. The Audit Fee was previously increased in 2022. In addition, the salary of Kudumbashree MIS Block Coordinators was increased from Rs.15,000 to Rs. 20,000. In addition, the Government had ordered a monthly Travel Allowance of Rs. 500 to CDS members, except CDS Chairpersons.