Page 19 - NIS English, 16-30 November,2022
P. 19
Aajeevika Mission-Nation's Mission Cover Story
ten women from the Aajeevika Mission's
Sanjeevani Self-Help Group devised a
novel method of reducing puja residue Crore families are linked
and began converting the dried flower 8.62 to self-help groups.
remains into incense sticks. Other
major temples in Jammu sell these
incense sticks, including the Vaishnodevi
shrines at Katra and Kaul Kandori. The 4,15,622 under the
Sanjeevani Group's team leader is Rekha Rural organisations Community
Rani, 31, from Udhampur. promoted Investment Fund.
33,16,398 15,017.28
The majority of the women in her
group are from rural areas. To give SHGs given revolving Lakhs rupees
these women a sense of self-sufficiency, fund so far. released so far
Rekha Rani has assigned them various 4,75,215 under Community
Investment Fund.
tasks based on their understanding crore rupees revolving
and expertise, such as collecting flower fund amount released 3,84,669
relics from the temple, making incense so far. Women engaged as
sticks, and selling in the temple and community resource
other areas. Rekha says that two or three 23,17,553 person.
women from their group go to the Kaul Groups assisted
Kandoli temple early in the morning to
collect worship residue — about one
quintal of flowers. The petals of the
flowers are then separated and dried
in the sun by another group of women.
After the flowers have dried, the women
all gather at one of the women's home
to grind the dried flowers and make
incense sticks. It is sold locally and also
by the Vaishnodevi Shrine Board.
People were having difficulty getting
bank services during a period when the
entire country was under lockdown. At
the same difficult time, BC Sakhi (Bank 16,89,27,854
Correspondent-Sakhi) was going to masks were made by
villages to provide financial services self-help groups during
to rural people. As BC-Sakhi, Bhojlata the COVID period.
Rana, Neelam Rai, Samreen Khan, Malti 5,29,741
Grias, Gayatri Maravi, and Jyoti Barkade
provided services to the villagers by protective equipment manufactured by
conducting financial transactions groups during COVID
in crores since March 20. Earlier, all
of these BC didis were only doing 5,13,059 1,22,682
transactional work in groups. They used liters of sanitizer made community kitchens to
to get around 1000–1200 rupees per in the COVID period. provide food.
month and struggled to make ends meet. (*Source: https://nrlm.gov.in/dashboardForOuter.
After that, BC Point was made available do?methodName=dashboard, as of 2 November, 2022.)
New India Samachar November 16-30, 2022 17