Self-help group members help anganwadis

Women in every family at Angarekanahalli are members of the Sri Shakti Group.
By this measure, every member of the group has been responsible for the success of the five-year-old organisation, which supplies nutritional food to anganwadi centres.

Working out of a centre set up by the Women and Child Development Department, the group processes foodgrains for anganwadis in Chikkaballapur and Shidlaghatta taluk. By their dedication to quality, the women have boosted the economy of their village and have set the steps for their own economic empowerment.

The president of the group, Amritha, said that the women took up the task enthusiastically when the proposal to run the centre came before them five years ago. “We took loans from the banks and faced several challenges initially. But under the guidance of officials from the Women and Child Development department, we moved forward. We do not have a building of our own but we run the centre in a rented space. The enrolment of women in large numbers has been the main reason for our success,” she said.

As many as 22 women, a majority of whom are disabled or from economically-backward backgrounds, earn Rs 6,000 a month by working from 10 am to 5 pm every day at the centre. “Every month, they go to the market and purchase foodgrains, including rice, wheat, dal, green gram and ground nut. They clean and weigh them. Processed food packets are sold to the department which in turn sends them to the anganwadi centre,” Amritha explained.

Group members from neighbouring villages also join them in processing over 30 tonnes of foodgrains, said Pavitra, another member.

The fact that the centre is run by woman has allowed members of the group to experience a taste of independence. “As it is an all-women centre, which helps its members to earn a steady income, women have developed self-confidence over the years,” said Venkatareddy, the planning officer of the centre.