The Haritha Karma Sena members in Thrikaripur in the same Kasaragod district of Kerala have come up with a way to generate additional income. A flower shop that sells flowers that are much needed in their area. They have named their enterprise as 'Haritha Flowers'. During the last Onam, the people of Thrikaripur did not go anywhere else in search of flowers. They came straight to 'Haritha Flowers' Flower Shop opened by the Haritha Karma Sena members. 'Haritha Flowers' was a relief to the people of Thrikaripur, who had been depending on Payyanur for flowers until then.

This initiative was launched in September 2024 in the Panchayat building at Thrikaripur Bus Stand by including in the Panchayat Project. Out of the 42 members of the Haritha Karma Sena, 10 of those members were given special training to run a flower shop. Now, all 42 members are running the flower shop with one heart.

The capital of the venture was Rs. 3 lakhs taken from the Panchayat scheme and Rs. 4 lakhs taken as a bank loan. At present, flowers are sold by purchasing them from nearby wholesalers. In the future, the entrepreneurs of Haritha Flowers aim to sell flowers directly from Bengaluru and Mysore. The Haritha Karma Sena members of Thrikaripur, who tried to earn additional income by utilizing their entrepreneurial skills without any hindrance to their work as Haritha Karma Sena members, are yet another excellent example of dedication and hard work.

The first harvest as part of the Punarjeevanam Project, which was launched in Attappady, Palakkad to revive livelihood opportunities in the agricultural sector, was held in Attappady on 25 March 2025. The first phase of this entrepreneurship development series, which is being run by Kudumbashree across the state, was implemented by Kudumbashree in the indigenous area of Attappady last year in collaboration with the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (ICAR - CTCRI).

Training was started at Attappady in August and in November, 40 selected farmers were supplied with two tonnes of highly productive enriched orange and purple potatoes, about 2.5 lakh planting materials, organic fertilizers and organic pesticides required for extensive farming.

The harvest festival of these sweet potato varieties was organized at the farm of a farmer named Velli Vellinkiri in Kunnanchala Village of Agali panchayat in Attappady on 25 March 2025. Dr. G. Baiju, Director, Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (ICAR - CTCRI) inaugurated the harvest. The enriched sweet potato varieties were cultivated in a total of 20 acres in Agali, Sholayur and Puthur panchayats. As part of the harvest, the Ooru Mooppan of the Hamlet, Mannookkaran, Bhandari, Kuruthala and the farmers were also honored. This time, it has been decided to use the harvest obtained to address the malnutrition among women and children. In the next phase, it is also aimed to expand the sweet potato cultivation to 100 acres and produce value-added products from the additional yield.

Dr. S. Shanavas, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree State explained the project during the harvest inauguration ceremony. Saraswathi Muthu Kumar, Saleena Shanmugam, Shanthi, Anitha Babu, Panchayat Samiti Office Bearers and Smitha Binu, Chairperson, Sholayur Kudumbashree CDS delivered their felicitations. Dr. Rashmi C.P. and Dr. Saranya A.R. from Jain University gave classes on the topic of 'Nutritional Value and Entrepreneurial Potential of Sweet Potato'. Manoj B.S, Assistant Project Officer, Attappady Tribal Comprehensive Development Project welcomed the gathering and Akhil Soman, Co-ordinator

Farm Livelihood proposed the vote of thanks. Around 250 people including farmers, Animators and Community Resource Persons participated in the programme.

Apart from sweet potato, yam cultivation is also being done in Attappady as part of the Punarjeevanam Programme. As the continuation of the Punarjeevanam Programme launched in January 2025, one ton of yam planting material, knapsack sprayers, various types of slicers, biological pest control products, and agricultural equipment were distributed to selected farmers.

Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission has won the Asian Record of Talent Record by organizing a Mega Training Programme to prepare value-added products including decorative items from inorganic waste. 'Upcycling Art', the training programme of Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission was organized as part of the 'Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam Campaign at Fort Maidan, Palakkad on 22 March 2025. A total of 358 Kudumbashree members aged 18 to 65 years were part of the training programme. 

The training was conducted using various materials such as plastic bottles, LED bulbs, paper glass, cloth, straws, and glass bottles. The training program was led by 33 people under the leadership of K. Sandhya, Art & Craft Teacher. Those who have now been trained will also be given a second phase of training. After that, they will provide upcycling art training at the block and panchayat levels. The NHG members will also be able to earn income through the sale of the products produced in this way. Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission will provide all kinds of support for the sale.

Raw materials for making value-added products will be purchased from the waste collected by the Haritha Karma Sena members of the district. This also ensures income for the Haritha Karma Sena members.

The training programme was inaugurated by K. Binumol, President, Palakkad District Panchayat. P.K. Chamunni, Vice President, District Panchayat presided over the function. Prameela Sasidharan, Chairperson, Palakkad Municipality was the Special Guest of the function.  Priyanka. G IAS, District Collector, Palakkad was the Chief Guest of the function. A. Prem Kumar, President, Erumayoor Grama Panchayat, Saithalavi, District Co-ordinator, Nava Kerala Mission, Sulochana, Chairperson, Palakkad North Municipality CDS extended their greetings.  K.K Chandradas, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission welcomed the gathering and  Unnikrishnan, Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Palakkad District Mission delivered the vote of thanks.

The Haritha Karma Sena members, who are working tirelessly to make our own Kerala waste-free, have collected 50190 tons of inorganic waste from our state and handed it over to the Clean Kerala Company in the last one year!. 35,214 women, members of 4438 Haritha Karma Sena units, have collected that much waste from the local body level and strengthened the effort to make our country a waste-free new Kerala. Haritha Karma Sena members received Rs. 341 crores as user fees for waste collection during this period. They also received Rs. 7.8 crores as remuneration for handing over the sorted waste to the Clean Kerala Company!

Haritha Karma Sena members, who were formed to find a solution to the waste problem in a decentralized manner, are also conducting various initiatives in this regard to increase their income. Haritha Karma Sena members are currently operating 223 cloth bag manufacturing units and 540 paper bag units that utilize the recycling potential of waste.

The 'Kani' Cucumber cultivation by Kudumbashree's Joint Responsibility Groups (JLGs) targeting the Vishu market is progressing well in the state. 5913 JLGs under 566 Kudumbashree CDSs in the state have now cultivated Kani Cucumber in 719.51 acres. 29,119 Kudumbashree NHGs are engaged in cucumber cultivation in these farming groups. Kudumbashree aims to sell Kani Cucumber through markets including Kudumbashree's own Vishu markets.

Kudumbashree's Farm Livelihood Team has been making effective interventions in providing more income to NHG members engaged in agriculture by focusing on cultivating crops needed for a specific period. Flower cultivation during the Onam season and watermelon cultivation targeting the summer season are examples of this.

As part of the efforts to guide NHG members to a different and more viable field and to find a source of income, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission has started a training programme to provide expert training to 30 NHG members in vegetable and fruit carving and salad preparation. The training is being held at Jawahar Bala Bhavan, Thrissur from 19-24 March 2025.

Along with food dishes, vegetable and fruit carving is now also important in well-organized events and other events. The number of people who make salads a part of their diet to lead a healthy lifestyle is also increasing. There is also a lack of experts in this field. It is in such a situation that the District Mission has decided to provide expert training in this field to interested Kudumbashree members and thereby help them find a source of income. The district aims to provide employment to those who have received the training in collaboration with catering groups.

The official inauguration of the training programme was performed by Dr. Salil. U, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission, Radhakrishnan. K, Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission, Prasad K.K, Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission, Shobhu Narayanan, District Programme Manager, Vineetha A.K, District Programme Manager, Adarsh P. Dayal, District Programme Manager, Block Co-ordinators participated in the training. The training programme is led by AIFRHM (Adebha Institute of Food Research and Hospitality Management), Kudumbashree's training agency. The training programme will come to an end on 24 March 2025.

Kudumbashree entrepreneurs achieved a turnover of Rs. 51,36,150 at the Aajeevika SARAS Mela in Noida. Kudumbashree entrepreneurs from six districts participated in the SARAS Mela organized by the Union Ministry of Rural Development at Sector 33 Noida Haat in which product marketing stalls and food courts were set up from 20 February 2025 to 10 March 2025. Shreyas unit from Kozhikode district also won second place in the food category of product marketing stalls.

A total of eight product marketing stalls were set up by Kudumbashree in the fair. Apart from Shreyas unit, Megha, Aishwarya (Ernakulam), Sree Chamundeshwari, Thanmaya (Palakkad), Sneha (Malappuram), Mayooram (Thrissur), and Sree Krishna (Alappuzha) also brought various products for sale.

Kudumbashree National Resource Organization (NRO) was in charge of coordinating the India Food Court. Two units, Ruchikoottu (Malappuram) and Lakshya (Ernakulam), prepared various dishes such as biryani, paratha, snacks, dosa, and juice at the India Food Court.

The awards for the winners of the Photography, Short Story and Essay Writing Competitions organized under the auspices of Kudumbashree were distributed. M.B. Rajesh, Minister for Local Self Governments, Rural Development, Town Planning, Regional Development Authorities, Excise, KILA and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Kerala distributed the awards to the winners of the competitions during the function held at Mascot Hotel, Thiruvananthapuram on 18 March 2025. Ms. Geetha Nazeer, Governing Body Member, Kudumbashree presided over the function. Adv Smitha Sundareshan, President, Block Panchayath and Kudumbashree Governing Body Member was the Chief Guest of the function.

In the Photography General Category, M.J. Ratheesh Kumar (First Place), Aravindan Manali (Second Place), K.A. Abdul Khader (Third Place), Arun Jyoti Rishikesh, Alfred M.K. and A. Prasad (Consolation Prizes) received the awards. In the NHG/Auxiliary Group Category, Anusha Mohan (First Place), Jasna Palakkal (Second Place), Jemini Benny (Third Place), Jishana K, Fathimath Zowra and Remeena T.K (Consolation Prizes) also received awards. The winners of the first, second and third places in both categories were given a cash award of Rs. 25,000, Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 10,000 respectively and the consolation prize winners were given a cash award of Rs. 2,000 each.

In the Sargam Story Writing Competition, Sheeba K (First Place), Muhseena M.A (Second Place), Rasheeda. P, Arsha Unni B (Third Place), Santhakumari P.K, Nirmala Balakrishnan and Vidya Sudheer (Consolation Prizes) were awarded. The winners received cash awards of Rs. 20,000, Rs. 15,000, Rs. 5000 and Rs. 2500 respectively.

In essay writing, Abhiram Pavithran O (First Place), Alan Antony (Second Place), Al Ameen J (Third Place) and Amit Jyothi U.P (Consolation Prize) were also awarded. The winners were given cash awards of Rs. 20,000, Rs. 15,000, Rs. 5000 and Rs. 2500 respectively. All the winners were given cash awards along with mementos and certificates.

G. Binulal, R. Parvathy Devi, Rosemary and K.A. Beena, representing the jury members of all three categories, expressed their views on the competitions. H. Dineshan IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree  welcomed the gathering and Dr. Anchal Krishnakumar, Public Relations Officer, Kudumbashree delivered the vote of thanks.

As part of the Jeevandeepam Oruma Group Insurance Scheme for Kudumbashree NHG Members, Kudumbashree, Kerala State Insurance Department and Life Insurance Corporation of India signed a MoU for the period 2025-26 at Kudumbashree State Mission Office, Thiruvananthapuram on 17 March 2025. H. Dineshan IAS, Executive Director on behalf of Kudumbashree, Bushara S. Deepa, Joint Director on behalf of Kerala State Insurance Department, and S. Raj Kumar, Divisional Manager, Pension and Group Schemes, on behalf of LIC signed the MoU.

Naveen C, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree, Abdul Basheer. K, State Program Manager, Neetu L. Prakash, State Assistant Programme Manager, Helen Alex, Branch Manager, Pension and Group Schemes Section, LIC and Sudheer  P. A., Assistant Director, Kerala State Insurance Department were also present at the function.

The Reception Committee of the National SARAS Mela proposed to be held in April 2025 under the leadership of Kudumbashree was inaugurated. P.A. Muhammed Riyas, Minister for Public Works and Tourism, Government of Kerala inaugurated the Reception Committee Office at Beach Port Bungalow, Kozhikode. The fair will be held from 19 April 2025 to 1 May 2025 at Kozhikode Beach.

Ahmed Devarkovil, MLA presided over the inauguration ceremony. Adv. K.M. Sachin Dev MLA, C.P. Muzaffar Ahmed, Deputy Mayor, Kozhikode Corporation, N. Padmini, President, Edachery Panchayat and Harshil R. Meena IAS, Sub Collector delivered their felicitations. Kavitha P.C, District Mission Co-ordinator. Kudumbashree Kozhikode District Mission welcomed the gathering and Bindu Jayson, Chairperson, Azhiyoor CDS delivered the vote of thanks.

This is the 12th time that Kudumbashree is organizing the National SARAS Mela. The fair will feature market stalls offering a variety of products from rural entrepreneurs across India, a food court serving delicacies from various states, and cultural programmes taking place every day.