Your skills are the steps to your dream mansion to climb on

Woman has been fighting since decades for her due half share in everything mankind gets in this world. And she could get innumerable opportunities come her way. There were times in our country when parents used to hesitate to send their girls to study in the neighboring village. Now there is sea of a change. The very parents of a girl are not only allowing but are encouraging their daughter to go to anywhere in the world for higher studies. If we look back and count the achievements a woman could master, the number is good enough to be proud of. But at the same time, if we also count the achievements yet to be made, we get the same high count! The reason being the achievements we were talking about were of the educated women. If we look at them and be satisfied and make a sigh of relief thinking that women achieved enough, it will not be fair as there is a lot to be achieved.

Caught between higher education and farming

Women so far chose only employment for their financial independence. Very few who can be counted on fingers came forward to establish industries. Now, it is neither about the educated lot we have to think at present nor the ones holding top position in the employment but about the girls who had to stop their studies due to their inability to afford higher studies and restricted to their homes. The women in the villages who did not get literacy are earning not less than Rs.10000/- per month from farming and from maintaining cattle to sell milk and milk products. The women who could study well are doing well by earning Rs.25000/- or above per month. Only those women who are between these two categories are having a testing time for catering whom this skill development course is envisaged.

Skill is the criteria

ALEAP SkillBank brings solace to those women who are caught between the two categories as explained above. Everyone has some ability or other whether they are educated or not. It is with the mission of getting those untapped skills out from them, ALEAP India came up with skill training program. The object is to make us women to prove to the world that there is nothing that cannot be achieved with internal abilities and inborn skills. The time for them to look for the opportunities to earn should pass for a bright future to make them to offer job opportunities to others. We have a bright future no doubt about it but, we also should remember that it is only we that have to create our future. Our Governments are keen to help in building a golden era for women. For that, our Prime Minister Mr.Narendra Modi allocated Rs.10 crore in addition to the lending program. His vision is to support women from SC, ST and Weaker Sections in making them become employable. It is my humble request to all of you to make use of this opportunity so that it not only improvises our lives but also contributes to the betterment of the Nation as a whole.

K.Ramadevi, President, ALEAP India       

Lakshmi Sowmya, the founder of “Sai Kartikeya Jute Products” is a girl from an ordinary family whose parents stopped her studies when she was studying 10th Class. They trained her in domestic work and married her. She became a mother of a child. She stood as trendsetter with her creativity. She watched the TV Program once when Ramadevi, President – ALEAP India was interviewing a successful entrepreneur. Her statement that higher education is not required to establish an industrial unit but it is only a determination is all that is required, inspired her to persue her dream. After watching the inspiring interview of Ramadevi, she got trained in Jute bag making under ISDS and determined to establish an industry of her own somehow or the other. Her Student ID is 673742.

With the help of Ramadevi, she started her own unit in ALEAP Industrial Estate with four machines on a nominal rent. She was having a savings of Rs.50000/- in her hand with which she purchased raw material and accessories. ALEAP also shouldered the responsibilities of getting the finished goods marketed. After seeing our way of working, Canara Bank came forward offering a loan of Rs. 17 Lakh. She has five employees working for and she outsourced 20 others. All of them are trained under Vandemataram Project. As Jute is an ecofriendly product and the government is also banning the plastic, the demand for Jute is more.

Amareswari is from Pothavarappadu Village, which is located in nearby rural areas of Vijayawada, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh. She came to know about the training through an advertisement in local TV Channel under Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS) of Ministry of Textiles undertaken by Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India (ALEAP). Her student ID is 647071.

She immediately opted for enrolment in the program and convinced her family to give permission to undertake training. After the training she approached the bank for loan and she has been sanctioned a loan amount of Rs. 15 lakhs through PMEGP scheme which she will utilize for construction of shed and working capital. At present she has utilized the loan amount of Rs. 2 lakhs and comfortably earning Rs.7000 per month and giving employment for 3 persons. In her village, women are not allowed to go out of village. Amareswari’s aim is to train and provide employment for women in the village. She is happy with the training provided to her and also with income she is earning which is really supporting her family.

Jayalakshmi is from Gannavaram Village, which is located in Vijayawada, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh. She did her LLB and did her Lawyer practice for 12 years. Due to some family issues, she had to leave her practice. She wanted to be on her own and was trying for difference options. She came to know about the training through an advertisement in local TV Channel under Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS) of Ministry of Textiles undertaken by Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India (ALEAP).

She enrolled her name in Aleap Kothavanthena Centre and got trained. ALEAP also provides the Entrepreneur Development Program (EDP) Classes to all the students under ISDS Scheme. On creating awareness by EDP Program and with the support of ALEAP she started her own unit with the name of Jayalakshmi Creations. She also started training few students in Jute and also in Hand Embroidery. After the training few students started working in her own industry. The students working in Jayalakshmi Creations have started earning around Rs.4000 to Rs.5000 every month. Students from nearby villages have also started coming for the training and also they have requested Jayalakshmi to start a centre in difference places, so that it will be convenient for them to get trained. She is happy and thankful to ISDS and ALEAP for the success and name she got in her area.

Naga Devi is from East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh. She got married after her 10th class and did not continue her studies after 10th class. She moved to Hyderabad after her marriage. Her husband works in Automobile Company. She got trained through National Jute Board. She started working as a faculty in National Jute Board and ALEAP. She learnt how to market the bags through ALEAP EDP Program and she started marketing the bags through Vipani. Devi put up few stalls in Shilparamam and Sundariah Vigyan Bhavan. With this she got many orders for Jute bags. In the year 2009 she started to stich the bags with 2 machines and put the stalls in different places line Pune, Nagpur, Goa, Surat etc. With so many orders in hand she wanted to start her own industry and approached bank for loan. She got loan of Rs. 10 Lacks through Prime Ministers Employment Generation Program and ALEAP has given an undertaking for the loan.

Devi started her own Industry by name Devi Jute Products. She also started training centre and trained many students in Jute under Integrated Skill Development Scheme of Ministry of Textiles undertaken by Association of Lady Entrepreneurs. Devi wants to start one more industry in her home town Rajahmundry.

Swarna Latha is from Hyderabad. She’s done her graduation in Hyderabad and she got married after her studies. She was in a joint family and with the support from her in-laws she started attending the Garment Training Program conducted by Government of India in Literacy House, Andhra Mahila Sabha which given her a confidence to start small garments business at her home. She came to know about Jute training provided by ALEAP Vandemataram Project , in association with Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.

She registered her name with the ECIL centre and got trained for two months. ALEAP has conducted Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP) through which she learnt how to market the products and how to obtain loans under various schemes. She started her own unit with the name Sashrith Textiles. They also started training people under AEAP Vandemataram Project in association with Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. Shashrith Textiles is into Training and manufacturing of Garments and Jute products now.

Kathraji Santhosha, the founder of “Sri Sai Enterprises” Armour, Nizamabad is a girl from an ordinary agriculture family. She did her ITT (Cutting & Tailoring Course) course and also Technical Teacher Course. She started working in Vocational College as Tailoring Instructor. She was feeling that the job she is doing is a routine job and wanted to do something different on her own other than the routine job. She saw the article in Eenadu Paper about Mrs. Ramadevi, President – ALEAP India explaining how you should start the Jute Making Unit under Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS) of Ministry of Textiles undertaken by Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India (ALEAP). Santhosha read the complete project report and she went for Jute Bag making training at Nizamabad Center. Her Student ID is 701358.

With the encouragement given by ALEAP, she started her own unit with the name of Sri Sai Enterprises. This unit was inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance. She took a loan of Rs. 3,50,000 from SBI and started the unit. She has orders in hand for school bags, college bags, lunch bags, photo album bags and different kinds of jute bags. She has employed around 30 people who are earning around 6000 to 7000 every month. She is very thankful to ALEAP for the encouragement and the help provided to her.