Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) sanctioned Rs 65 crore for extending the activities of Startup Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) to 12 more districts in Kerala. The Empowered Committee presided by the Secretary, MoRD gave approval and sanctioned fund for the project reports submitted  by Kudumbashree Mission.

SVEP, the sub component of National Rural Livelihood Mission envisions the growth of the enterprises which are launched after studying the regional scopes. Central and State governments spend money in the project in 60:40 ratio.

In Vadavukod block of Ernakulam and Parakkod block  of Pathanamthitta districts Kudumbashree had been successfully implementing the programme for the last one year. As per the approval, the programme will be implemented  in Nilambur, Koothuparamb, Panamaram, Perambra, Nilambur, Nenmara, Kodakara, Idukki block, Vaikom, Thaikkattusery, Pathanapuram and Vamanapuram blocks of  Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts respectively. Therefore, Kerala would become the first  in the country to extend the SVEP to all districts across the state.

Within 4 years, 21816 new enterprises would be started in these blocks.Kudumbashree's National Resource Organization (NRO) give the technical support  for extending the programme. As per the programme, 2000 entreprises from each block will get the loan assistance and the services of those who had received special trainings.

SVEP aims to start Block Resource Centres  to give assistance to entrepreneurs and also to those entrepreneurs which were stopped. SVEP also aims to frame  projects for the new enterprises and to launch Performance Improvement Programme as well.

For making the employees of State Mission, serve the Kudumbashree women in a better and authentic way, a renovated library was opened. The library started functioning on 1 January 2018, as Shri. S. Harikishore, Executive Director, Kudumbashree Mission inaugurated the same.

The library consists of around 3000 books which include reference books on Government of Kerala, Government of India, reference books on Kudumbashree, books on women development, on women and children's law, rural development, books on poverty, poverty eradication, micro finance/ entrepreneurs, management books, economic development, books on five year plans, solid waste management, english fiction, computer books and other books and periodicals. It also includes the published materials from the districts, newsletters, media visibility reports and CDs. State Mission employees may lend 2 books at a time for a period of 2 weeks. Smt. Sajna is the librarian, who is in charge of the same.

Weekly seminars on personality development and book discussions are organised on wednesday afternoons. Employees of State Mission consider this as a golden opportunity to share their knowledge within themselves.

The tool kit and CPC Manual of Kudumbashree NRO was released by Shri Amarjeet Sinha, Secretary, Rural Development Government of India and Dr. W R Reddy, Director General, NIRD at National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), at Hyderabad on 12 January 2018. The tool kit has been prepared with which specifically outlines the implementation protocol that can be adopted by states interested in the PRI-CBO convergence model.

For providing the technical assistance to partner states for the PRI-CBO Convergence project and Micro enterprise consultant model, Kudumbashree, the State Poverty eradication mission of Government of Kerala has been designated as National Resource Organisation (NRO) by Ministry of Rural Development in 2012. Since its inception, Kudumbashree has had a history of working with the Panchayati Raj Institutions for partnering in the implementation of various development programmes. This model has been systematized into a project and since 2013 Kudumbashree as NRO has been working with eight states in India in the Convergence model.

The tool kit can be used by any State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLM) to implement the model without the support of Kudumbashree NRO. It also has provisions for local-specific customization making it an extremely handy tool. The PRI-CBO convergence tool kit consists of 5 books with more than 450 pages and is a very comprehensive document covering a range of specific processes and concepts like the conceptual framework, the activity mapping, the tool that was been developed for entitlement access, the CBOs demand plan preparation, the community institutions for convergence platforms and the various capacity building modules developed for various stakeholders during the course of the project. Kudumbashree NRO had been working on the proof of concept for scaling up and universalization of the PRI-CBO convergence model across states.

The CPC Manual is prepared based on Kudumbashree NRO’s experiences and learnings. The training module could be used for building a resource pool of Community Professionals for Convergence (CPC). Community Professionals for Convergence are those internal resources of the state who will be responsible for taking the work of PRI-CBO Convergence forward in non-pilot locations. The manual will help the partner states in training Community Professionals for Convergence for their scaling up interventions.

Shri. Sumith Bose, Former Finance Secretary, Shri. J.J Mahapathra, Former Secretry, Rural Development and Shri. S.Harikishore IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree Mission were also present at the function.

Study report on the impact of Kudumbashree Mission done by  Dr K.P Kannan, Chairman, Laurie Baker Centre for Habitat Studies and Shri.G. Raveendran, Retd. Additional Director General, Central Statistics Organization was released. The team was directed  to conduct a study on the impact of Kudumbashree Mission. Dr. K.P. Kannan handed over the the study report to Dr.K.T Jaleel, Minister, LSGD, Government of Kerala. The report was analysed by Shri.S.M Vijayanand, Former Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala.

It was founded out in the study that Kudumbashree's interventions had influenced the social development of the women. Minister said that the future projects of Kudumbashree would be framed based on the study reports and special care would be given to the deserving sectors.

The activities regarding the detailed study was initiated during July 2015. The social and financial  development brought in by the Kudumbashree Mission among the women was the topic. Within the time frame of two years, a detailed study was conducted in 350 NHGs from the selected 60 panchayaths in the state who had been actively participating in Kudumbashree activities for the last 10 years.

The survey  was conducted by differentiating them based on their financial situations.The representation of rural, urban, scheduled caste, scheduled tribes and special NHGs were included in the survey. The study was mainly aimed at the financial and social background of the NHG women, the improvement they attained through Kudumbashree activities, personality development, social abilities and its development, impact of the social  welfare activities among them etc. The number of NHGs had  steadily increased during these years and Kudumbashree's interventions had helped in improving the quality of life of them.

As per the survey, 55 % of the Kudumbashree women are under  Below Poverty Line and 45 % are Above Poverty Line. According to the report, Kudumbashree Mission had helped tnem to come to the mainstream knowing their own rights.

Papers were presented on 'Methodology  and findings on economic impact' & 'Social impact and policy recommendations by Dr. G.Raveendran and Dr.K.P Kannan respectively.

Shri.S.Harikishore, Executive Director, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering and Shri.Pramod, Programme Officer extended vote of thanks. Senior officials from Planning Board and Kudumbashree State Mission also attended the function.

Kudumbashree trained the officials of Arunachal Pradesh, for the successful completion of National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) programme. A two day capacity building training was given to the officials regarding the same. The NULM project is being implemented by the Union government across the country since 2013 with the aim of alleviating urban poverty. Kudumbashree is the nodal agency of NULM in Kerala.

NULM programme would be implemented across the urban areas in the country. However in the north eastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, the programme is in its initial stage. Kerala was asked by the union government to help the other states in extending the NULM programme. The training was inaugurated by Shri. Taba Tadir, Chief Engineer cum Director Urban Development and Housing, Arunachal Pradesh on 11 January 2018. The senior officials from the District Urban Development Authority, engineers, community organisers, senior officials from the urban affairs directorate of Arunachal Pradesh also attended the training programme. The training was given by the three membered team led by Shri. Binu Francis, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree.

A team from Arunachal Pradesh will soon visit Kerala to study the NULM activities being successfully implemented by Kudumbashree. Arunachal had a population of 13 lakh, of which 23% live in urban areas. Itanagar and Pasighat are the two municipalities in Arunachal Pradesh. Kudumbashree envisages to extend the poverty alleviation activities in Arunachal Pradesh through the training.

A 14-member delegation from Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir visited Kerala to study Kudumbashree Mission. The team will study in detail about the successful implementation of the various projects of Kudumbashree in convergence with panchayaths, and Kudumbashree women’s micro enterprises. Led by Shri. Sering Paldan, Development Assistant Commissioner, the team from Ladakh comprises of Panchayath secretaries and one Block and Development Officer.

Classes on the topics such as Kudumbashree programmes, organisational structure, successful micro enterprises, group farming, social development, micro finance, skill training etc. were given to the Ladakh team. The team also visited the Thiruvananthapuram centre of Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), to study about the decentralised governance implemented in Kerala.

Representatives from various states and countries had been visiting Kudumbashree to study about Kudumbashree model of poverty alleviation. The 10 membered delegation include ministers and other senior officials from various departments of Tajikistan had visited Kudumbashree Mission during December 2017.

Snehatheeram Homestay of Kudumbashree women from Alappuzha made their mark by the outstanding performance in tourism sector in the district. The homestay is located near Perupalli Kochi Jetty at Arattupuzha. What makes them different from others is not only the 'All women management', but also the eco-friendly approach of them. The homestay started functioning on 5 June 2014, the environment day. The construction of the homestay is purely in an eco friendly way.

Foreigners are the main visitors of Snehatheeram homestay. Snehatheeram homestay serves ethnic food and uses only organic vegetables for cooking. Fish farm is also run by the Snehatheeram Kudumbashree unit. The ethnic food served by them is of high demand for the guests. The four day package of homestay include village walk, self boat riding, folk art-dance programmes, meeting with Ayurveda vaidyas, coir making, Mannarasala centre, visits to museum, Krishnapuram palace, village- community tourism, sunbath etc. Cigeratte, liquor and plastic are strictly banned inside the homestay. The Kudumbashree women themselves act as the local guides to the guests, overcoming the language barriers. Smt. Komalamma, Smt. Veena Devi, Smt. Ishi, Smt. Sunitha, Smt. Suraja, Smt. Chithra and Smt. Seema are the women who are in charge of Snehatheeram Homestay.

The initiative was started as part of the tsunami relief activities and later the initiative was took up by the Kudumbashree Snehatheeram unit. A herbal garden is also maintained by them. The social responsibility of the unit is too notable that 20 % of the yearly profit of Snehatheeram Homestay is used for cleaning activities. The story of Snehatheeram homestay is nothing but the saga of the will power of a few women.

A total of 271 units started functioning across the state as part of of the Kerala Chicken Programme being implemented by Kudumbashree Mission in Kerala associating with State Animal Husbandry Department and Poultry Development Corporation (KEPCO). The first units were started in Thiruvananthapuram district on 22 December 2017. Ernakulam is the district with maximum number of units. i.e., 70 units. 42 units are there in Kazargode district. Kudumbashree Mission plans to start 5000 such chicken rearing units across the state.

Each unit is rearing at least 1000 chicken. They will be ready for sale on becoming 42-45 days old. KEPCO is distributing chicks in Thiruvananthapuram , Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts only. They were distributed in these districts at a rate of Rs 40 per chick. The mature chicken will be procured by KEPCO at a rate of Rs 85 per chicken.

In future, Animal Husbandry department will take actions to certify that the chicken is free from antibiotic or so. Kudumbashree mission also plans to start meat stalls in all districts except Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta, which will be under the supervision of concerned CDS.

The main objectives of the programme include to provide a steady income for Kudumbashree members through broiler chicken production, to ensure safe and clean chicken meat to consumers at reasonable price and to provide a steady and non fluctuating market price for broiler chicken.

Kudumbashree Mission is getting strong among the tribal population in Kerala. Out of the 127987 tribal families in Kerala, 106162 families are active members of Kudumbashree NHGs. It was found out from the tribal survey that 5962 NHGs are actively participating in the tribal areas. It was in 2007, that Kudumbashree tribal special livelihood project was launched associating with Scheduled Tribes Development Department to address the issues faced by the tribal population in Kerala. The tribal population of Kerala is 454302 and there exists a total of 5484 tribal clans in the state.

Wayanad is the district with maximum number of tribal NHGs. There are 1612 tribal NHGs and 27135 Kudumbashree members in Wayanad. In Kazargode, there are 718 tribal NHGs and 15850 members. In Idukki, there are 715 NHGs and 13687 members. Alappuzha is the district with least number of tribal NHGs. there are only 3 tribal NHGs and 42 members.

Kudumbashree plans to strengthen the livelihood activities in tribal areas in the upcoming years. More micro enterprises like handicrafts, handloom, tailoring units etc will be started focusing tribal NHGs in various districts.

It is with the convergence with governmental and non governmental organisations that special tribal project was carried out by Kudumbashree. In the first phase, the programme was implemented in the selected 10 panchayaths of Idukki, Wayanad, Palakkad and Kasargod districts. The second phase was conducted in the selected 10 panchayaths of the remaining districts except Alappuzha. And in the third phase, it was extended to all panchayaths where tribals reside.

The Attappady special project is being carried out by Kudumbashree in Attappady from 2013 onwards for making progressive changes among the lives of tribals. Projects giving special emphasis to the areas like Edamalakkudy are the major ones among the tribal focused programmes. Tribal outlets were started for giving maximum exposure to the products of tribals in Idukki, the second largest district in the basis of tribal population. Group farming, PSC coaching etc are also progressing as part of he tribal special livelihood projects.

Hostels run by Kudumbashree CDS are of high demand in Kozhikode city. Located at Francis road, near fourth platform of Kozhikode Railway station, the recently started 'Rail view' women's hostel which have 33 rooms, including single, double and triple rooms providing the state of the art facilities like free WiFi, CCTV, recreation club, library and reading room, laundry, conference hall, counselling centre etc. Rail view hostel was inaugurated by Shri. T.P Ramakrishnan, Minister for Labour and Excise, Government of Kerala on 30 November 2017.

The all-women management which provide online booking facility, has also made arrangements to accommodate women working on late night shifts. The counselling centre at the hostel which provide free counselling for women and children and the 'Railway tasty corner' food court which serve tasty food are also accessible to the public as well. Rail view is the fourth hostel started by Kudumbashree CDS. Smt. P.P Sheeja and Smt. V. Pushpalatha, Smt Savithri, officer bearers of Kozhikode Corporation Kudumbashree CDS North are in charge if the the 'Railview' Hostel.

The first in the series, 'Feminara' Womens Hostel was started at Gujarathi street in 2014, which was an instant hit. Following its success, 'Fly Sky' Hostel and 'She Homes' Hostel were started at Govindapuram and Parayancheri respectively.

The demand for women's hostels rise during entrance examinations and other tests. Kudumbashree hostels can accommodate around 300 people altogether in its four hostels. The hostels provide all the modern facilities for a comfortable stay in affordable price, had became a second home for its inhabitants.