Kudumbashree's DDU-GKY CXO Meet was held at Hotel Hycinth, Thiruvananthapuram on 24 August 2023. Ms. Sarada Muraleedharan IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala inaugurated the programme and delivered the Inaugural Address. Smt. Sharmila Mary Joseph IAS, Principal Secretary, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala delivered the keynote address. 

Shri. Harikishore IAS, Managing Director, KSIDC and Ms. Anu Krishna, State Head, CII offered their felicitations. Ms. Preethi Menon, Senior Assistant Director, FICCI Kerala State Council, Shri. Sudhakar Reddy, Director, Monitoring & Evaluation, NIRD & PR also addressed the gathering. Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering. He also made a presentation on the Scope of DDU-GKY & Industry Convergence. The presentation was followed by the Open Forum and Discussion on Industry Demands. Shri. Pradeep Kumar R, Chief Operating Officer- DDUGKY delivered the vote of thanks.

Following the inaugural session, a Panel Discussion was held on th topic- 'Skill Ecosystem in Kerala - Past, Present & Future.
Dr. Usha Titus IAS (Chairperson & Managing Director, ASAP was the Moderator of the Panel Discussion. The Panel Members included Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree, Shri. Sudhakar Reddy, Director, Monitoring & Evaluation, NIRD & PR, Shri. Unnikrishnan Nair, Head, Maritime Logistics and NSDC, Dr. Jayakumar, CEO, VISL, Shri. Muhammed Riyas, General Manager (Skills), KKEM, Shri. Pradeep. M, General Manager, Lakeshore Hospital.

As part of the 25th Anniversary Celebrations of Kudumbashree it has been decided to organize a State Level Mega Job Fair at Thiruvananthapuram during December 2023. Prior to the job fair, the CXO Meet is being organized to address the momentous requirement of the companies and to pool the vacancies across the nation. The CXO Meet serves as a platform for establishing new industry linkages ensuring candidates get suitable employment opportunities at present and in near future.

The CXO Meet will deliberate on the current Industry demands, emerging opportunities and key trends in some of the booming sectors like Healthcare, Logistics, Retail, Construction, BSFI, IT-ITes. Tourism & Hospitality etc. The meet intends to highlight the skilled manpower available under DDU-GKY and the opportunities for empanelment of new PIAs to explore the potential of the scheme. It is expected that the outcome of the CXO Meet would not only enhance the better livelihood options for the rural youth of Kerala but also facilitate the industry to get the quality manpower they are looking for. It also intends to serve as a platform for convergence of key stakeholders from the Government, Private Sector and Industries for brainstorming and exchange of ideas.

DDU-GKY (Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana) is a Central & State sponsored skilling and placement scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development Government of India. In Kerala, Kudumbashree Mission (State Rural Livelihood Mission, under Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala) is the nodal agency for implementing the scheme.

The State Level Inauguration of the Onam Market Fairs of Kudumbashree was held. Shri M.B. Rajesh, Minister, Local Self Government Department and Excise Department, Government of Kerala performed the State Level Inauguration of the fair at Police Training Ground, Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram on 22 August 2023. The 1085 Onam Market Fairs conducted by Kudumbashree throughout Kerala are important among the interventions made by the State Government to contain the price hike during Onam.The Minister said.

Kudumbashree's greatest asset and capital is the credibility it has gained among the people through its activities spanning a quarter of a century. These marketing fairs build on that credibility. The minister said that every new step Kerala takes has the stamp of Kudumbashree on it and the sky is the limit for Kudumbashree. The minister also inaugurated the marketing stalls at the Onanilavu-Onam Marketing Fair.

Shri. Antony Raju, Minister for Transport, Government of Kerala presided over the function. Even if Maveli does not come, Onam will be held, but if there is no Kudumbashree, there is no Onam in Kerala, commented Shri. Antony Raju, Minister for Transport, Government of Kerala. He also said that the reason why the Kudumbashree movement, formed in Kerala, has become a model for the world, is the recognition of the selfless service of the NHG members.

Adv. D. Suresh Kumar, President Thiruvananthapuram District Panchayath conducted the first sale at the fair by receiving the same from Ms. Jazeera, JLG Member. Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree explained the project.

The Onam Markets organized under the leadership of Kudumbashree are started across the state. The aim of the Onam Markets is to provide pure and unadulterated unique products at fair prices. Kudumbashree's unique products will be available at the fair, from Kudumbashree's own flowers for flower arrangements to fruits and vegetables for preparing the feast. Kudumbashree and local self-government bodies are organizing 1085 fairs across the state with the aim of providing pure and unadulterated products to consumers at fair prices.

The state-level fair, which will be held till 28 August 2023, will have special Onam counters and a food court besides 50 stalls selling products of Kudumbashree entrepreneurs and Kudumbashree Joint Liability Groups. The flower market will have flowers grown by Kudumbashree farmers in the countryside in large quantities. Stalls for flowers are specially set up in the state fair. A variety of arts and cultural events will also take place every day.

Ms. Geetha Nazir, Kudumbashree Governing Body Member and District Panchayath Member, Elected Representatives and CDS office bearers were also present at the function. Artistic performances by the children of BUDS School, Pothencode were also staged during the function.

The Kudumbashree Noorang team of Thirunelly of Wayanad district of Kerala won the State Government Award constituted by Department of Agriculture for cultivating a variety of tubers that many people have not even heard of, such as Narakizhang, Noora, Thun Kachil, Sugandha Kachil, Payasa Kachil, Makkaleppotti, Karinthal, Velunthal and Karimanjal.

A group of 10 tribal women has won this year's award given by the Department of Agriculture, Government of Kerala for the Best Heritage Farming Seed and Crop Protection. They received the award for Noorang comprising of a cash award of Rs. 1 lakh, a plaque and a certificate from Shri. Prasad, Minister of Agriculture, Government of Kerala during the function held at Thiruvananthapuram.

In 2021, ten women from three Kudumbashree communities in Irumbupalam hamlet formed an association of farmers called Noorang as part of the Tribal Comprehensive Development Project implemented by Kudumbashree in Wayanad. Ms. Saranya Sumesh, Ms. Kamala Vineesh, Ms. Rani Rajan, Ms. Santha Narayanan, Ms. Lakshmi Karunakaran, Ms. Santha Manoharan, Ms. Sarada Ramachandran, Ms. Sunitha Raju, Ms. Sarasu Gopi and Ms. Bindu Raju are the members of the group. Now they are cultivating about 160 tubers in 75 cents of land in Irumbupalam. They market these tubers through various marketing fairs held across the state.

The Onam Markets organized under the leadership of Kudumbashree will begin on 22 August 2023 across the state. The aim of the Onam Markets is to provide pure and unadulterated unique products at fair prices. Shri. M.B. Rajesh, Minister of Local Self-Government Department and Excise Department, Government of Kerala will perform the State Level Inauguration of the Onam Markets during the function proposed to be held at Police Ground, Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram on 22 August 2023. Shri. Antony Raju, Minister for Transport, Government of Kerala will preside over the function.  

Onam Markets will be organized in a comprehensive manner in all 1070 CDSs in collaboration with local institutions. Apart from this, preparations for organizing district level fairs have also been completed. Kudumbashree will provide Rs. 1 lakh at district level, Rs. 15,000 at Urban CDS level and Rs. 12,000 at Grama panchayat level for organizing marketing fairs. In addition, the Government has also issued an order to allocate up to Rs. 1 lakh from the local self-government bodies' own funds for Onam market fairs.
   
Various products produced by Kudumbashree micro-entrepreneurs and collective farming groups are marketed at the fairs. Various types of flours, food products and agricultural products will be marketed. Various flowers such as marigold, bandi, jasmine and lotus cultivated by Kudumbashree women farmers groups active in the field of floriculture will add more colour to Kudumbashree fairs this time.

Most of the CDSs are organizing various types of competitions like Athapookkalam, Vadamvali and Thiruvathira in connection with the marketing fair. Various art programmes will also be staged under the leadership of Balasabha members. CDSs in urban areas will also be active in organizing Onam Markets. Full participation of all individual and group entrepreneurs will be ensured in Onan Markets. Preparatory meetings of District Missions, Formation of Organizing Committee and Entrepreneurial Meetings were completed in connection with the effective conduct of Onam Markets.

The State Level Marketing Fair in Thiruvananthapuram will be from 22 to 28 August 2023. Apart from the 50 product marketing stalls, special Onam Marketing Counters will also be set up at the fair in Thycaud. The fair will also feature a food court with a variety of food and arts and cultural events.

BUDS Institutions are one of the best and humane social services among the many alternatives that Kerala has created so that India can emulate them, said Shri. M.B. Rajesh, Minister, Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala while performing the Day Announcement and State-Level Inauguration of BUDS Day at the function held at  Kerala Arts and Craft Village, Vellar, Kovalam on 16 August 2023. He added that 16 August 2023, which is celebrated as the first BUDS Day will be a memorable day in the history of BUDS Institutions run by Kudumbashree in association with Local Self-Government Institutions, a model that can be extended all over India. From this year onwards, 16 August will be observed as a day for Intellectually Challenged Children in the name 'BUDS Day' under the auspices of Kudumbashree.

The Minister also released the logo and tagline of BUDS and also inaugurated the 'Sajjam' Building Resilience Programme, which trains about one lakh Balasabha members to recognize and deal with natural calamities. The logo and tagline for the BUDS Institutions were found through a competition. Shri. Ranjith K.T. (logo) and Shri. Abhiraj R.S. (tagline) were the winners of the competition and the Minister gifted the awards to the winners during the function.

Shri. Jafar Malik IAS, Kudumbashree Executive Director, Kudumbashree explained the project. Dr. Sekhar L Kuriakose (Member, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority) released the Sajjam Handbook by giving the same to the Minister.

August 16 is the day when the first BUDS School in the state started functioning in Venganoor Grama Panchayath of Thiruvananthapuram district under the auspices of Kudumbashree in 2004. The Day Announcement and the Week Celebration have been set up with the aim of making BUDS Institutions more popular and raising intellectually challenged children into the mainstream of the society, in the context of the achievements accomplished by Kudumbashree in collaboration with the Local Self Government Institutions in this field within the last nineteen years. The day also aims to integrate more children into BUDS institutions and to provide mental support to parents. Ahead of the announcement of the day, the BUDS Week celebration was ongoing from 9 to16 August 2023. As a part of this, various programmes were organized in all BUDS Institutions across the state.

At present BUDS Institutions are functioning in 359 Local Self-Government Institutions. There are 167 BUDS Schools for children up to 18 years of age and 192 BUDS Rehabilitation Centres for those above 18 years of age. Vocational and livelihood training is given priority in Rehabilitation Centres. 11,642 people are being supported in daily living, rehabilitation and job training through BUDS Institutions. He also said that 495 teachers and 622 caretakers are serving in BUDs Institutions. The main objective of BUDS institutions is to transform intellectually challenged children from dependence to self-reliance.

A special livelihood scheme involving parents of children in BUDS Institutions is also being implemented. Rs. 3.5 crores have been sanctioned by the Government for this purpose. Programmes are designed and implemented to include the mothers of the children studying in BUDS Institutions keeping in mind that they often have to spend time with their children in the institutions. Vocational training is also being provided to the trainees above 18 years of age to ensure a steady income. Various vocational training like paper & pen making, paper file making and umbrella making are provided in this way. Currently 162 enterprises are part of BUDS Institutions.

The products prepared by the children of the BUDS Institutions under Kudumbashree District Mission are being branded under the name 'Ithal' and are brought to the market. Products like notepad, office file, seed pen, cloth bag and paper bag are branded and marketed from 14 BUDS Institutions in the district. All beneficiaries of BUDS Institutions are covered under Niramaya, a comprehensive health and safety scheme. The policy amount of the scheme is fully paid by the state government.

BUDS Institutions also give maximum encouragement to arts and sport activities to support the mental growth of the beneficiaries. BUDS Arts Festivals are organized every year for this purpose. BUDS Arts Festivals are organized at institutional, district and state levels. The curriculum at BUDS Schools includes a wide range of subjects such as music, dance, other arts and sports items and yoga. He also pointed out that Sanjeevani  Agri Therapy activities are also implemented for the physical and mental awakening of children in BUDS Institutions. All BUDS Institutions are conducting agricultural activities aimed at the mental refreshment of the beneficiaries. The State Government has been providing excellent support to BUDS Institutions, including an allocation of Rs. 12.5 lakh each to 200 local bodies for infrastructural development in BUDS Institutions. He also said that 28 master trainers and 608 district-level resource persons have been trained as part of Sajjam- Building Resilience Project, which prepares about one lakh Balasabha members to deal with natural calamities.

Shri. Chetan Kumar Meena, Director, Social Justice Department, Shri, Bhagath Roofus R.S, Member, District Panchayath Division, Ms. Geetha Nazir, Kudumbashree Governing Body Member and District Panchayath Member, Ms. Jaya Nalinappan, Chairperson, Welfare, Athiyannoor Block Panchayat,  Adv. Smitha Sundaresan, Kudumbashree Governing Body Member and Varkala Block Panchayat President,  Ms. Anitha Y.V, Chairperson, Kudumbashree Venganoor CDS, Shri. Roofus Daniel, Former President, Venganoor Grama Panchayath, Ms. Shobana, Former Chairperson, Venganoor CDS,  were also present at the function.

Dr. B. Sreejith, Programme Officer, Social Development, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering and Shri. Ashtapalan V.S, Member, Venganoor Grama Panchayath, delivered vote of thanks.

Kudumbashree BUDS Day will be organized from this year onwards to popularize the activities of BUDS Institutions run by Kudumbashree in collaboration with Local Self Government Institutions for intellectually challenged children. 16 August 2004, the day when the state's first BUDS School was officially inaugurated in Venganoor Grama Panchayath of Thiruvananthapuram district, will be celebrated as BUDS Day every year from now onwards. The BUDS Week celebrations ahead of the first BUDS Day celebrations has already been started. Fruit tree planting activities under the name 'Oru Mukulam' were organized in all 359 BUDS institutions in the state, including BUDS schools and BUDS Rehabilitation centers on 9 August 2023.

BUDS Day celebration also aims to integrate more children into BUDS Institutions run for the education and rehabilitation of intellectually challenged children and to provide psychological support to parents. A week-long celebration programme and district-level closing programmes are organized as part of the first BUDS Day celebration in all the BUDS Institutions in the state.

Home visits will be held on 11 August (children and staff of BUDS Institutions visit the homes of children who cannot reach BUDS Institutions due to physical difficulties) and Independence Day celebration and parent teacher meet will be held on 15 August. Opportunity will be provided to showcase children's creativity. The culmination of the week long BUDS institution level celebrations and the BUDS Day celebration will also be organized at the district level on 16 August 2023. Children's art programmes at BUDS Institutions will also be organized on the day.

There are 167 BUDS Schools for children up to 18 years of age and 192 BUDS Rehabilitation Centers for children above 18 years of age. Vocational and livelihood training is given priority in Rehabilitation centres. BUDS Rehabilitation Centres started its operations from 2013 onwards.

Kudumbashree's flowers will be for sale at Onam Market this year. Flowers blooming in the gardens of Kudumbashree members will add more colour to the 'Pookkalam' (Floral Carpet) prepared by the Malayalees during this Onam season. Cultivation of different varieties of flowers like bandi, marigold, chendumalli, jasmine and lotus is progressing all over the state. 

A total of 526.389 acres of land is being cultivated targeting the Onam market through Kudumbashree Joint Liability Groups (JLGs). 1461 JLGs have became part of it. Palakkad district has the largest acreage of flower cultivation. i.e., 88.7 acres. 

The aim is to make these flowers available in all the local markets and Kudumbashree's Onam markets. Kudumbashree is trying to make a strong presence in the Onam market through flowers this time. For details and flower availability under each CDS conducting floriculture, one may contact the respective CDS Chairperson.

Mazha Polima, an agricultural revitalization programme implemented by Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission, is progressing. From children to adults, people go to the fields, plant the seedlings, sing and dance and is making Mazha Polima a festival of the country. Various events including art and sports competitions and food fair are being organized as part of the fair.

With the slogan 'Cheranu Chor', Mazha Polima has been organized by Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission with the objectives of making barren land cultivable, ensuring food security, attracting people including the young generation to agriculture, and reviving the agricultural culture of the district.

The Mazha Polima Campaign, which has been organized in the district for the last five years, is being organized in a more extensive manner from this year. Apart from CDS level, the campaign is also organized in ADS level. As part of the campaign which started on 5 July 2023, Mazha Polima has been organized in 31 out of the total 42 CDSs in the district so far. 6 ADSs also carried out Mazha Polima.

Last year, 646.3 acres of barren land were cultivated through Kudumbashree JLG groups as part of Mazha Polima and 20.8 tons of rice was brought to the market under the Arishree brand.

The job fairs as part of the micro plan activities jointly implemented by the Kerala Knowledge Economy Mission and Kudumbashree have been completed in the four local self governing areas. Micro Plan activities were carried out in Bison Valley in Idukki district, Sultan Batheri in Wayanad district, Perumbadappu in Malappuram district and Kollam Corporation in Kollam district.

1800 job seekers and 163 employers participated in the job fairs organized in these four regions on 8th, 9th and 15th July 2023. 536 people were selected. As part of the Micro Plan activities, intensive campaign programmes to provide knowledge jobs to the educated job seekers registered on the Digital Workforce Management System (DWMS) platform in these areas were carried out.

The micro plans are being prepared and operated as per the requirement of the local self-governing bodies to the Knowledge Economy Mission to provide knowledge jobs to the educated unemployed. The first event in the micro-plan calendar is the formation of an organizing committee comprising of officials from various departments, people's representatives and representatives from skilling / employment agencies.

Then there are about 11 activities including meeting of job seekers at local level, knowledge job explanation, training and interviews for community ambassadors, work readiness programme and job training. Job fairs are organized last. In the future, it is aimed to implement micro plans focusing on more local bodies.

Kudumbashree invites logo and tagline for Kudumbashree BUDS Institutions, which works aiming at the education and rehabilitation of the differently abled run by Kudumbashree in the state associating with Local Self Government Institutions. The best entry will get Rs. 10,000 as prize. The logo and tagline should align with the basic objectives of BUDS Institutions like education of intellectually challenged children, day care, care and rehabilitation of intellectually challenged adults.

The entries may be sent to The Programme Officer (SD), Kudumbashree, TRIDA Building, Medical College P.O, Thiruvananthapuram-695011. The last date for receipt of the entries is 10 August 2023.