K. Satchidanandan, President, Kerala Sahitya Akademi  said that writers should be able to understand not only their own experiences but also the pains and crises of society. He was speaking after inaugurating ‘Sargam’, the Three-Day State-Level Literary Workshop organized by Kudumbashree in collaboration with Kerala Sahitya Akademi and KILA for selected Kudumbashree members at KILA Campus, Thrissur on 27 February 2025.

Writers are responsible for knowing the world. Literature encourages writers to look into their inner selves and the complexities of their experiences. The training required for writing should be provided throughout life. Along with literature, other art forms should be included. Satchidanandan said that writers should be able to dream beyond all kinds of inequalities and discrimination and that women entering the literary field should find their own place in this field.

Dr. Anchal Krishnakumar, PRO, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering. Dr. K.P.N Amrutha, Assistant Director, KILA presided over the function. Ashokan Charuvil, Vice President, Sahitya Akademi was the Chief Guest of the function. V.S. Bindu, Camp Director delivered the introductory speech. Prasad K. K, Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission delivered the vote of thanks.  K. A. Beena , Writer and Dr. U. Salil, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission also participated in the function. 

In the various sessions held in the afternoon, K.A. Beena, Dr. K.M. Anil, Sangeetha Chenampulli, Rahesh Muthumala, Dr. Mini Prasad, and Varghese Antony delivered presentations.

The organizing committee of the National Saras Mela, which is being organized for the first time in Kozhikode district under the leadership of Kudumbashree, has been formed. The fair will be organized at the Kozhikode beach at the end of April 2025. The formation meeting of the organizing committee was inaugurated by Adv. P. A. Mohamed Riyas, Minister for Public Works and Tourism, Government of Kerala during the function held at Nalanda Auditorium, Kozhikode on 24 February 2025. A 201-member Executive Committee and a 2001-member Organizing Committee have been formed.

More than 250 product marketing stalls will be set up in connection with the fair, where a variety of products produced by rural entrepreneurs from various states of India will be available. There will also be a Food Court serving a variety of delicacies from other states, art programmes with the participation of experts in the field of art and culture, and seminars on various topics every day.

P.G. George Master,  President, Grama Panchayat Association presided over the meeting to form the Organizing Committee. C.P. Muzaffar Ahmed, Deputy Mayor, Kozhikode Corporation, K. K. Lathika, Kudumbashree Governing Body Executive Member and former MLA, P.C. Kavitha, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Kozhikode District Mission spoke at the function. H. Dineshan IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering and Bindu Jayson, Chairperson, Azhiyoor CDS delivered the vote of thanks. 

Patrons - M.B. Rajesh (Minister of Local Self-Government, Excise and Parliamentary Affairs), A.K. Saseendran (Minister of Forest and Wildlife), Dr. Beena Philip (Corporation Mayor) M.K. Raghavan, MP,  Shafi Parambil, MP, Priyanka Gandhi, MP,  K.K. Lathika, P.K. Zainaba (Kudumbashree Governing Body Executive Members) 
 
Chairman - Adv. P.A. Muhammed Riyaz (Minister of Public Works and Tourism)
Vice Chairmen - M. Mehboob, Adv. K. Praveen Kumar, K.K. Balan, Adv. V.K. Sajeevan, M.A. Razak Master, Mukkam Muhammed, Basheer Pandikasala, T.M. Joseph, Gopalan Master
General Convener- Snehil Kumar Singh IAS (District Collector) 
Working Convener - P.C. Kavitha (District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Kozhikode District Mission)
Joint Conveners - P. Sooraj (Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Kozhikode District Mission), P. N. Susheela (Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Kozhikode District Mission), Bindu Jayson (Chairperson, Azhiyoor CDS).

As usual, Kudumbashree is gaining attention by providing Kerala flavors and Kerala-inspired products at the Ajeevika Saras Mela being held in Noida. Kudumbashree entrepreneurs from five districts are participating in the Saras Mela held at Sector 33 Noida Haat organized by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.

Kudumbashree has set up eight product marketing stalls at the fair, including Kudumbashree branded chips, curry powders, handicrafts and food products. Eight units, Megha, Aishwarya (Ernakulam), Thanmaya, Chamundeshwari (Palakkad), Sneha (Malappuram), Shreyas (Kozhikode), and Sreekrishna (Alappuzha), have brought various products. In addition, two Kudumbashree units, Ruchikoottu (Malappuram) and Lakshya (Ernakulam), will be serving various dishes such as biryani, parotta, snacks, dosa, and juice at the India Food Court adjacent to the fair. The food court is organized by the Kudumbashree National Resource Organization (NRO). Saras Mela before the fair ends on 10 March 2025.

The beneficiary training of Kudumbashree's KTIC project, which aims to transform the youth of the indigenous areas into entrepreneurs and thereby open up livelihood opportunities and improve their quality of life, is progressing at the district level. As part of the Kudumbashree Tribal Enterprises and Innovation Centre (KTIC) Project, the first phase of module training of beneficiaries selected from the indigenous areas has been completed in Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kannur districts and Thirunelly in Wayanad.

Kudumbashree aims to organize training in the remaining districts and Attappady in the coming days. The second module training will also be completed in all districts by mid-March. 800 young men and women from the indigenous areas of all 14 districts of Kerala have now been selected as beneficiaries of the project. A training programme lasting about an year and a half will be organized as part of the project in various phases.

Entrepreneurial Development Training is provided to the beneficiaries through 36 Incubators with work experience in various training areas of Kudumbashree. Along with the training, field visits are also organized to see and understand the working methods of micro-enterprises and product marketing.

Kudumbashree Snehitha Extension Centres will be set up in all DySP & ACP offices in the state. The aim of the project is to provide necessary counselling services to women and children who come to police stations as victims of various forms of violence. Counselling services will be provided based on the needs of the complainants and the importance of the case, taking into consideration the suggestions of the police. For this, eighty-four Community Counsellors working under Kudumbashree have been selected. The State-Level Training of the first batch, comprising twenty-five people, has begun in Thiruvananthapuram.

Currently, Snehitha Extension Centres are operating in seven selected Police Stations in the state. The plan is to expand the project to all DySP & ACP offices across the state by the second week of March on a similar model.

In the first phase, counseling services will be provided two days a week. If those who come for counseling need additional support, a system will also be set up to provide it. In addition, expert mental health treatment will be ensured through a referral system. The project will help complainants to speak up and get the necessary support without fear.

If there is no space available for the operation of Snehitha Extension Centres in the police stations currently under the jurisdiction of the DySP & ACP offices, other convenient police stations within the subdivision limits will be identified for this purpose. Infrastructure will also be provided for providing counseling services. 

Snehitha Gender Help Desk is a Kudumbashree system that works to provide necessary legal aid, temporary accommodation and counseling to women and children who are victims of violence. Snehitha is currently operating in fourteen districts and Attappady.

Paravoor CDS in Kollam district received ISO certification. The recognition is received for providing all the services as per the bye-law formulated by the Kerala Government to achieve the goal of poverty eradication through women empowerment. The CDS achieved this achievement based on the file arrangement in the office, accuracy in maintaining financial transactions and registers, NHG information, efficiency, improvement of the office to provide any information related to Kudumbashree within three minutes, assessment in the service sector, and office arrangements.

Rekha C (Chairperson), Maya I.V (Vice Chairperson), Sathyabai, Latha, Thara, Asha, Ajitha, Saritha. R, Sindhu, Saritha, Bindu C, Priji R. Shaji, Shobhana, Jinu B, Anudas, Sindhu, Baby Shani, Saburath, Noorjahan, Rasheeda. S, Musaifa, Lathika S, Sharifa, Shiny, Sandhya Vinod, Sugandhi, Bindu B, Shobhana, Sheeja, Rema, Beena Shaji, Sheeba are the CDS members. Suji S is the Member Secretary and Rekha P.S. is the Accountant.

The Vengapally CDS in Wayanad district had received ISO certification during November 2024. Later, Kottoor CDS in Kozhikode district also received ISO certification.

Kerala Bookstore handed over a total of 50 books to the Bridge Course children as part of the Attappady Tribal Comprehensive Development Project being implemented in Attappady through Kudumbashree. H. Dineshan IAS, Executive Director, Kudumbashree received the books from Jojo James, Founder and CEO of Kerala Bookstore. Arun P. Rajan, State Programme Manager, Kudumbashree and Jishnu Gopan, State Assistant Programme Manager, Kudumbashree were also present.

The Bridge Course Children as part of the Attappady Tribal Comprehensive Development Project will be benefitted out of these books.

A special training program 'Prajna' for the office bearers of NHGs formed in connection with a special project implemented by Kudumbashree to empower Kannada-speaking linguistic minorities in Kasaragod district has begun. The training programme is being organized in 15 panchayats of the district in the months of February and March. So far, 388 NHGs have been formed as part of the Kannada Special Project.

A Special Project prepared by the State Government to address the backwardness of the Kannada-speaking region is being implemented through Kudumbashree. The project aims to social reform the region, including model enterprise studies and enterprise visits. So far, 32 Kannada Community Volunteers have been appointed to facilitate the project activities.

The logo of the Prajna Training Project was released by D. Haridas, Assistant District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Kasaragod District Mission on 12 February 2025. The training is being carried out by Kudumbashree's training agency, 'Team for Teaching and Excellence'.

The ‘Auxello’ State Level Campaign organized by Kudumbashree with the aim of Auxiliary Group expansion and empowerment will begin this month. The aim is to form Auxiliary Groups at the NHG level by including all young women between the ages of 18 and 40 who are not members of the NHG and to reorganize the currently functioning ones. Consortiums of Auxiliary Groups will also be formed at the ward and panchayat levels. The campaign also aims to enable Auxiliary Group members to start innovative business ventures through Kudumbashree and generate income through them.

As part of the campaign, extensive programmes have been planned for the months of February and March. As part of this, this month, one block in each district will be selected and an Auxiliary Group will be formed by identifying young women who are not members of the NHGs. Multiple young women between the ages of 18 and 40 from a family can join the Auxiliary Group. Affiliation should be taken from the CDSs.

Along with the formation of the Auxiliary Group, the main objective of the campaign is to help the members achieve sustainable economic development by providing better employment opportunities and income. As part of this, they will be provided with opportunities to learn about local business models and start innovative enterprises. Along with this, necessary job skills training and financial assistance will be provided. Job opportunities in the knowledge sector will also be utilized to the maximum extent.

Auxiliary Groups were first formed in the state in 2021 with the aim of forming a strong youth force for Kudumbashree Subsequently, Kudumbashree also organized the Auxomeet and Meet the New Campaigns.

Flower cultivation carried out by Kudumbashree members during the Onam season is now a hit. But not only floriculture, Kudumbashree has now initiated activities to provide additional income opportunities to NHG members through value addition of flowers.

The Joint Liability Group (JLG) provides training to members to make value-added products from flowers such as agarbathi, dye, Holi color powder, flower jelly, and cattle additives. The first phase of this training was organized at the Kerala Agriculture University, Mannuthy, Thrissur in January 2025.  A total of 40 people, including Agriculture Community Resource Persons from all districts and JLG representatives involved in floriculture, participated in this two-day training. Kudumbashree aims to provide training at the district level next month. During the Onam season of 2024, a total of 3453 Kudumbashree JLGs had floriculture on 1281.24 acres as part of the ‘Nirapolima’ project.