On the occasion of International Women's Day, the symposium organized by Kudumbashree on the topic of 'Gender-Integrated Development Models' at Chandragiri Auditorium, Kalpetta, Wayanad was a unique experience. The papers prepared through the District-Level Open Forums organized earlier in connection with the  Nayi Chetna National Campaign were presented at the symposium. Fifteen papers were presented at the symposium out of which 14 from the districts and 1 from Attappady. Malappuram with 83 points, Ernakulam with 77 points, and Alappuzha with 71.6 points secured the First, Second, and Third positions respectively for their excellent presentations. Bindu K.S, Director, Kudumbashree presented the awards to the winners at the closing ceremony.

The symposium presented strong models and new ideas for ensuring gender justice and gender equality in development topics. Many suggestions and opinions emerged in the symposium that provide direction for Kudumbashree's future activities. Respective District Mission Coordinators and District Programme Managers, representing each district, presented papers. The winners were judged on the basis of the organization of Open Forums, excellence in the presentation of the essays, and the integration of gender justice in development models. There was also a question and answer session after the presentation of the essays.

A panel comprising Dr. P. Satyaneshan, Former Head, SCERT Curriculum,  Dr. Peeja Rajan, State Coordinator, UN Women, Dr. Abhilash Babu, Research Officer, SCERT Valuation Division, Sindhu V, Gender and Social Inclusive Lead, Karnataka Inclusive Livelihood Programme evaluated the essays and presentations and selected the winners.

Ramachandran Kadannappally, Minister for Registration, Museums, Archaeology, Archives, Government of Kerala said that men and women should be able to work in positions of power without discrimination. The Minister was speaking after inaugurating the International Women's Day celebration organized by Kudumbashree and the 'Sannadham' Project jointly implemented by Kudumbashree and the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority at Chandragiri Auditorium, Kalpetta, Wayanad on 8 March 2025.

Women can succeed in any position. They have proven that women can do everything that men used to do. Kudumbashree is a group that works in all aspects of social life. Through Kudumbashree activities, women have entered all sectors of society, including positions of power. Women can play an important role in the development of the country beyond the boundaries of caste, religion, and politics. The challenges that arise from class should be discussed and resolved. The Kudumbashree fraternity has shown in what all ways social responsibility can be reflected through survival and livelihood activities in disaster situations. Kudumbashree should participate in the Government's efforts for social development. The Minister said that the Government will be with them to solve the problems they face as women and clarified that the 'Sannadham' Project implemented in collaboration with Kudumbashree and the State Disaster Management Authority is an echo of social service.

The Minister honored women who have demonstrated excellence in various fields, including Dhanuja Kumari S, a member of the Haritha Karma Sena in Thiruvananthapuram district and Writer, Roshni G, Forest Beat Officer and Sheela Tomy, Writer .

In his presidential address Adv. T. Siddique, MLA, said  that Kudumbashree can act as the most decisive force in combating the biggest crisis facing society, drug addiction. He also said that women can play an important role in building a new society by becoming a force that can lead men and children.

In his keynote address, Meghasree D. R, District Collector said that along with women empowerment activities, the society also has a responsibility to enable them to achieve their aspirations and dreams. Suparna Ash, Gender Consultant, National Rural Livelihood Mission was the Special Guest of the function.

Adv. T. J. Isaac, Chairman, Kalpetta Municipality released the papers prepared based on the District-Level Open Forums organized in connection with the Nayi Chetna National Campaign. Lakshmi Alakkamuttam, President, Panamaram Grama Panchayat, Deepa A.V, Chairperson, Kalpetta CDS, Bindu K. S, Director, Kudumbashree spoke at the function.  Dr. B. Sreejith, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree welcomed the gathering and  P.K. Balasubramanian, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission delivered the vote of thanks. In the afternoon, a symposium was organized on the topic of ‘Gender-Integrated Development Models’.

Kudumbashree's International Women's Day celebration this year will be held on 8 March 2025 in Kalpetta, Wayanad with various programmes. The message of this year's International Women's Day is 'Rights, Equality and empowerment for all women and children'. Ramachandran Kadannappally, Minister for Registration, Museums, Archaeology, Archives, Government of Kerala will inaugurate the event at 10 AM at the Chandragiri Auditorium in Kalpetta. Adv. T. Siddique MLA will preside over the function. Priyanka Gandhi, MP will be the Chief Guest of the programme. District Collector Meghasree D. R will deliver the keynote address. Suparna Ash, Gender Consultant, National Rural Livelihood Mission will be the Special Guest.

Twenty-five women from various fields, including Dhanuja Kumari S, a member of the Haritha Karma Sena and a storyteller from Thiruvananthapuram district, Forest Beat Officer Roshni G, and writer Sheela Tomy, will be honored by District Panchayat President Samshad Marakkar and H. Dineshan, Executive Director, Kudumbashree. The papers prepared based on the District-Level Open Forums organized in connection with the Nayi Chetna National Campaign will be released by Adv. T.J. Isaac, Chairman, Kalpetta Municipality.

Chandrika Krishnan, President, Kalpetta Block Panchayat, M.V. Vijesh, Treasurer, Grama Panchayat Presidents Association, Deepa A.V, President, Kalpetta CDS and Bindu K.S., Director, Kudumbashree will speak at the function. P.K. Balasubramanian, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Wayanad District Mission will deliver the vote of thanks. A symposium on ‘Gender-Integrated Development Models’ will also be held in the afternoon.

As part of celebrating Women's Day on 8 March 2025, Dalil ADS emerged victorious in the Local Women's Cricket Tournament organized under the leadership of Kudumbashree Kannur District Mission, Cherukunnu CDS and Gender Resource Centre. Punnacherry ADS defeated Muttil ADS team by 30 runs in the final.

Batting first in the final match held at Cherukunnu Panchayat Ground, Dalil scored 61 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in 6 overs. Muttil ADS could only score 31 runs in reply. C.K Sruthi, who led Muttil ADS to the finals with an all-round performance, became the 'Star of the Tournament'. The match was six overs each. A team consisted of six people. Eight ADS teams consisting of members of the NHG and Auxiliary Groups entered the competition. The cricket matches were organized with the aim of increasing women's representation in sports and improving their mental well-being.

The matches were inaugurated by P.V. Sajeevan, Vice President, Cherukunnu Panchayath on 5 March 2025. M.V. Jayan, District Mission Coordinator, Kudumbashree Kannur District Mission and K.V. Nirmala, Chairperson, Cherukunnu CDS were also present. T. Nisha, President, Cherukunnu Panchayat distributed prizes to the winners. The function was attended by public representatives, Kudumbashree members, employees and others. Following the success of this Regional Women's Cricket Tournament, organized for the second consecutive time, the Kannur District Mission aims to organize a District-Level Women's Cricket Tournament as the Second Phase.

Kudumbashree represents Kerala at the food court of the ‘Vividhta ka Amrit Mahotsav’ organized at the Amrit Udyan of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Pathiri, Chicken Kondattam and various other delicacies are prepared and served here by the Souparnika Kudumbashree unit from Kozhikode district.

Entry to the fair, which will be organized till 9 March 2025, is free. Currently, the fair of South Indian states is going on. The President, Governors, Public Representatives and high officials visited the stalls.

A Kudumbashree unit is getting attention by preparing a ‘Healthy Plate’ for those who come to have lunch at the Civil Station Canteen in Malappuram Municipality. Cafe Kudumbashree Canteen, which has been operating the canteen here for four years, is providing non-veg and veg food during lunch under the name of 'Healthy Plate'.

Along with rice, carrots, watermelon, cucumber, spinach, beans, tomatoes, sprouted grains, along with chicken, egg or yogurt, are served as lunch on the 'Healthy Plate'. The 'Healthy Plate', which includes chicken, costs Rs. 80. A 'Healthy Plate' with yogurt or egg costs Rs. 60.

Healthy plates are provided to those who book in advance. This initiative also has the support of Malappuram District Administration, Health Department and Food Safety Department. Although the 'Healthy Plates' were started only two weeks ago, at least 60 orders are now being received daily. The unit is staffed by 22 women and 4 male helpers.

A three-day training was organized for the Internal Resource Group (IRG) members of the Chalanam Mentorship Programme, which aims to improve the organizational structure of Kudumbashree Urban CDSs and transform them into Centres of Excellence. 49 IRG members from 11 CDSs participated in the training.

The Internal Resource Group is a group of Kudumbashree members who are involved in the CDSs as part of the Chalanam Programme to plan activities at the field level and to help them successfully implement them at the grassroots level. They have gained experience working at the CDS level. The IRG members shared their achievements, comments, challenges and problems related to the activities of the Chalanam Mentorship Programme during the last six months at a training program organized in Thiruvananthapuram.

The publication of the handwritten magazine prepared by them, recording the main achievements, was handed over to Syam Kumar K.U, Programme Officer, Kudumbashree and Anishkumar M.S, State Programme Manager. The Resource Group members also prepared and presented the action plan regarding the activities planned to be carried out in the respective CDSs for the next six months.

For the welfare of the elderly and their physical and mental well-being, a generation gathering is being organized in all 1070 CDSs in the state under the auspices of Kudumbashree. The generation gathering will be organized between March 10 and 25, in connection with the World Happiness Day, March 20. The aim of the programme is to empower the youth to create an age-friendly environment. It also aims to provide understanding to the general public about the problems faced by the elderly and to formulate solutions. It is intended to make more elderly people a part of the Kudumbashree system and provide them with the necessary support.

There are 25,992 elderly NHGs in the state, which has 2,83615 elderly people as members. As part of the generational gathering, a one-day gathering is being organized for them in collaboration with the Auxiliary Group. The programmes will begin at 10.30 AM. This will be followed by a seminar on the topic of ‘Age-Friendly New Kerala’ and discussions on various sub-topics related to it. The ideas, opinions and suggestions received in the seminar organized at the CDS level regarding ensuring the welfare of the elderly will be compiled at the CDS level and then at the district level and will be submitted to the State Mission before 10 April 225. The aim is to utilize this by including it in the plans of local self-government bodies, constituent bodies and Kudumbashree to ensure priority consideration for the elderly.

As part of the K4 Care project implemented in the state through Kudumbashree, 1,000 women are being trained in the field of geriatric care. The training is provided in a one-month certified course in collaboration with the National Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation-NIPMR, a renowned institution in this field. The project aims to provide better employment opportunities to Kudumbashree women along with providing various services in the field of geriatric care. The training will start from the first week of March 2025 at the NIPMR campus in Thrissur. The opportunity will be for women only. There are job opportunities in foreign countries for those who successfully complete the course.

A Kudumbashree member, Kudumbashree family member or Auxiliary Group member between the ages of 25-40 can participate in the training programme. They must have passed the 10th class. The members who received the training will be known as K4 Care Executives. They will be available for employment in various fields including care of the elderly, bedridden patients, differently-abled people, newborn babies, and post-natal care. Kudumbashree will also support this.

As part of the project that was launched in January 2024, a total of 605 people have received training in the first phase. Those who wish to participate in the training programme should contact the Kudumbashree District Mission Offices in their respective districts.

The three-day Sargam 2025 Literary Workshop jointly organized by Kudumbashree, Kerala Sahitya Akademi and KILA for the members of the NHGs and Auxiliary Groups concluded. 40 women selected from the participants of the Sargam State-Level Story Writing Competition were part of the workshop organized at KILA headquarters, Mulagunnathukavu, Thrissur from 27 February to 1 March 2025.

At the closing ceremony organized on 1 March 2025, C.P. Aboobacker, Secretary, Kerala Sahitya Akademi distributed certificates to those who were part of the workshop. Dr. K.P.N. Amrutha, Assistant Director, KILA (Training) presided over the function, while V.S. Bindu, Camp Director conducted the Workshop Review. Dr. U. Salil, District Mission Co-ordinator, Kudumbashree Thrissur District Mission and K. Rekha, Writer spoke at the function.  K.S. Sunil Kumar, Programme Co-ordinator, Kerala Sahitya Academy welcomed the participants and Dr. Anchal Krishnakumar, Public Relations Officer, Kudumbashree delivered the vote of thanks. On the concluding day, various sessions were led by K.V. Sajay on the topic of 'Evolution of Malayalam Poetry' and K. Rekha on the topic of 'Reading, Writing and Experience'.