Kudumbashree Kannur District Mission launched 'Cocos' branded coconut oil from Aralam Farm of Kannur district of Kerala. A group of Kudumbashree entrepreneurs from the Aralam Scheduled Tribes Rehabilitation Area have now produced and marketed a coconut oil under their own brand. Mr. Binoy Kurian, Vice President, District Panchayath, Kannur launched the 'Cocos' branded coconut oil in a function held at Aralam Kakkuva, Kannur on 6 July 2022.

They launched their 'Cocos' branded coconut oil with the support of their thirst to succeed and the strong mind to reap achievements through hard work. The coconut oil production unit is started in Kakkuva at Block 11 of Aralam Farm, by including in the Annual Plan of Kannur District Panchayath for 2020-21 financial year. Ms. Kalaranjini, Ms. Savitha, Ms. Ramya, Ms. Sandhya and Ms. Sarojini, Kudumbashree members are in charge of the 'Cocos' coconut oil production unit.

Their dream of launching their own brand of coconut oil for the past one year has now come true with the launch of 'Cocos'. 'Cocos' is pure coconut oil with no added preservatives or other additives. In the first phase, 'Cocos' coconut oil will be available in the general market in half-litre and one-litre bottles. The unit is supported by the financial assistance received from the District Panchayath and Kudumbashree along with the bank loan. Kudumbashree also provided training and technical support for branding the product. The building facility was provided by NABARD and Tribal Resettlement and Development Mission (TRDM).

The government has permitted the local bodies to increase the honorarium of the employees of BUDS Schools and BUDS Rehabilitation Centres run jointly by Kudumbashree and local self-government bodies for the differently challenged. A special teacher can be paid up to Rs. 32,560 as salary. Assistant teachers are allowed to pay Rs. 24,520 and nannies up to Rs. 18,390. Physiotherapist and Speech Therapist Specialists with professional degrees can also pay an honorarium of Rs. 1,180 per day.

 As of now, there are 9545 trainees in 342 BUDS Institutions. 404 special teachers, 126 assistant teachers and 397 nannies are serving in these institutions.

Kudumbashree Kannur District Mission has organized Woman Film Fest for Kudumbashree NHG members and Auxiliary Group Members. The Woman Film Fest was officially inaugurated by Ms. K.M. Jamunarani, Municipal Chairperson, Thalassery Municipality at Municipal Town Hall, Thalassery, Kannur on 29 June 2022.

The 'Woman' Film Fest' opens up an opportunity for thousands of NHG members to immerse themselves in the magical world of films that have created wonder in the hearts of people like Children of Heaven, Heidi, Village Rockstar and discover new levels of enjoyment. The Film Fest is organized in collaboration with the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, Government of Kerala. The film screenings as part of the film festival are being held for a period of three months starting from July 2022 to September 2022 in 81 CDSs of Kannur district. The Film Festival also aims at introducing films that have gained national and international attention to the inner villages.

The cinema screening in a CDS is from 10 AM to 5 PM, on a fixed day. The exhibition space will be determined according to the availability of school and panchayat auditoriums. It will be coordinated in such a way that upto 150 people can watch the movie at a time. Films such as Basanti, Freedom Fight, The Great Indian Kitchen, Manhole, Ottamuri Velicham and Ozhimuri will be screened at the festival. All NHG members and auxiliary group members can be a part of the film festival organized under the leadership of the CDS.

An opportunity for Kudumbashree women to participate in the entrepreneurship training program jointly conducted by the National Commission for Women and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode for free. Existing Kudumbashree entrepreneurs and those who are interested in starting enterprises can participate in this online training. The pedagogy will include lectures, discussions, entrepreneurship talks, and significant mentoring from various subject matter experts.

Foundation training will be provided to those interested in starting enterprises and advance training to existing entrepreneurs. The Foundation Program in Entrepreneurship is designed for women who want to enter the entrepreneurial arena. It will aim to develop the entrepreneurial skills required to identify a business opportunity and set up a business and the managerial capability to run the enterprise successfully. The Advanced Program in Entrepreneurship is designed for women entrepreneurs who want to scale up their businesses. It will aim to augment their entrepreneurial skills in finetuning their business model, expanding their markets, accessing funds, and diversifying their product or services. In addition, the program will help enhance their managerial capability to run the enterprise. Those who successfully complete the training will receive a certificate.

Those who are interested can register for the training at https://innovateindia.mygov.in/entrepreneurship-program.../. The NHG members and Auxiliary group members can make the most of this great opportunity. Those who are interested to participate in the training may register immediately using the link given above.

Kudumbashree becomes a star in the marketing fair held at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie. About sixteen products including Kerala sarees, dhotis and handicrafts were brought by Kudumbashree for sale at the fair organized at the IAS Academy from 26-27June 2022.

The Kudumbashree stall at the fair was run by Ms. Bhagirathi, Kudumbashree Nutrimix entrepreneur from Palakkad District and Ms. Shari Hari, Ms. Vineetha, Micro Enterprise Consultants (MECs) who are part of the Startup Village Entrepreneurship Program (SVEP) being implemented by Kudumbashree in the Kodakara block of Thrissur district and Ms. Shyama Suresh, Entrepreneur. Sales of Rs 48,070 was recorded from the two-day event.

In addition to their participation in the marketing fair, they also interacted with the civil service trainees on the activities including enterprise formation of Kudumbashree focusing on NHGs (Neighborhood Groups). The products of the entrepreneurs from Thrissur and Palakkad districts were made available at the fair.

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Urban [PMAY-(U)] Project, which has colored the dreams of the common people to have a safe and secure home to live, completed seven golden years on 25 June 2022. The PMAY (U) project was launched in Kerala in 2015 through Kudumbashree. The scheme is being implemented in 93 Urban Local Bodies in the state converging with the LIFE Mission since 2017. On the occasion of the seventh anniversary, the elected representatives, municipal officials and project officials visited the houses of the beneficiaries and interacted with them.

The aim of the project is to 'provide housing for all urban homeless people'. The project has four components. Individual Construction (financial assistance up to Rs. 4 lakhs for land owners - Central share of Rs. 1.5 lakhs, State Municipal share - Rs. 2.5 lakhs), Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (Bank loans at the lowest rates from the current interest rates), Affordable Housing in Partnership (Residential Complexes and Slum Development.

Until now, 1,23,210 houses have been sanctioned under the PMAY(U)- LIFE scheme in the state. Out of this, the construction of 95,122 houses have been started and 72,569 houses have been made inhabitable. Permission was granted to construct 11 residential complexes for 970 landless families and the construction of 938 units were started and 288 units were completed. Loans were also provided to 28,715 beneficiaries under the Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme.

Kudumbashree's 'Nalkam Oru Pusthakam Pallikkoodathilekku' (Donate a book to School) Campaign has been started. The campaign aims at donating one book from every NHGs to the libraries of the nearby public schools and thereby make an opportunity for the intellectual growth of the younger generation.

The campaign is being organized as part of the Reading Week Observance started on 19 June 2022. The NHGs may jointly buy/ collect a book and donate to the nearby public school. They can donate more than one book as part of this campaign. These activities are also carried out in various offices of Kudumbashree.

Saphalam Cashew and Jeeva Honey, produced by Kudumbashree entrepreneurs from Kasaragod are included in the 'One Station One Product' Programme of Southern Railway. Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission has set up stalls as part of the 'One Station One Product' project at Kasaragod and Kanhangad Railway Stations in collaboration with the Southern Railway. The inauguration of the stalls was held on 23 June 2022.The stall set up at Kasaragod Railway Station was inaugurated by Mr. Ram Khiladi Meena, Station Master, Kasaragod Railway Station and the stall put up at Kanhangad Railway Station was inaugurated by Mr. Prasanth, Station Master, Kanhangad Railway Station.

Now the travelers will have the opportunity to acquire the leading 'Saphalam' cashew and 'Jeeva' honey during their train journey. A sales person each has been deployed at the stalls where various products of Saphalam Cashew Unit of Chemmanad and the Jeeva Honey Unit of West Eleri Grama Panchayat are available. Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission aims to set up similar stalls at other railway stations in the district viz., Kumbla, Uppala, Ullal, Manjeshwar, Kottikkulam and Bekal in the future as part of the project.

Mr. T.T. Surendran, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission, Mr. Haridas, Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission, Mr. Prakashan Palayi, Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission, Ms. KV. Sujatha Teacher, President, Kanhangad Municipal Corporation, Ms. Sujini, CDS Chairperson, Ms. Surya Janaki, CDS Chairperson, Block Coordinators and District Program Manager were present at the inaugural function held at Kanhangad. Whereas Ms. Ayesha, CDS Chairperson, Railway officials and Block Coordinator were present at the inaugural function held at Kasaragod.

A Career Guidance Workshop was organized at Attappady for the tribal students who have written and passed the tenth and higher secondary examinations in the year 2022, at the Conference Hall, KILA, Agali on 22 June 2022. The Workshop was organized as part of the Attappady Comprehensive Tribal Development and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group Development Project, in association with the Chittoor Career Development Centre under the Employment Exchange.

560 people participated in the workshop which was organized with the objective of giving a clear direction to the children of the Scheduled Tribes community for higher education and job opportunities. The team guided by Ms. Hema, Employment Officer and Centre Manager, Chittoor Career Development Centre, led the classes. Mr. V.S. Muhammad Ibrahim, Former Director, Backward Classes Welfare Department, Government of Kerala explained about the possibilities of higher education to the children.

The workshop explained the various courses that students can choose from after tenth and higher secondary classes and the job opportunities of these courses. Animators, Tribal Promoters and Bridge Course teachers collected information from students through the Kudumbashree Panchayat Committees in Attappady. Mr. B.S. Manoj, Assistant Project Officer, Attappady Comprehensive Tribal Development and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group Development Project presided over the function.

Kudumbashree is conducting State Level Essay Competition for College Students on 'The Role of Kudumbashree in Social, Economic and Women Empowerment' as part of the Reading Week Celebrations. The first, second and third place winners will be awarded cash prizes of Rs 10,000, Rs 7,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively.

The essay should use only a maximum of two thousand words. The entries should be sent by post or courier along with the name, address, phone number and the certificate of Principal / Head of the Department to 'The Public Relations Officer, Kudumbashree State Poverty Eradication Mission, Second Floor, TRIDA Rehabilitation Building, Medical College P.O., Thiruvananthapuram-695 011.

The entries should reach Kudumbashree State Mission Office on before 2 July 2022. Entries received via WhatsApp will not be considered for the contest. Children / family members of Kudumbashree State-District Mission employees are not eligible to participate in the competition. For information about the competition, visit the Kudumbashree website: www.kudumbashree.org/essay2022.

Terms and Conditions

1. The essay should not exceed more than two thousand words.
2. The students who are participating should send their entries along with their name, name of the college, topic, address, phone number and certificate from the Principal / Head of the Department.
3. Children / family members of Kudumbashree State- District Mission employees are not eligible to participate in the competition.
4. The decision of the judges regarding the competition will be final.
5. Do not write the name or other details of the student on the entry.
6. The entries should be sent by post or courier.
7. Entries submitted through WhatsApp will not be considered for the competition.
8. The last date for receipt of articles is 2 July 2022.

Address to which the entries should be sent:
Public Relations Officer
Kudumbashree State Poverty Eradication Mission
Second Floor, TRIDA Rehabilitation Building,
Medical College. P.O.
Thiruvananthapuram-695 011