Knitting success stories

Society for Human Aptitude Knowledge Training & Implementation (Shakti), that works in and around the Hooghly district of West Bengal, trains youth in entrepreneurial skills in the services sector and cottage and small scale industries.

Over 1,750 beneficiaries have been trained under its 'Entrepreneurship Development Programme', while as many people have been grouped into self-help groups trained in various income-generating skills like tailoring, embroidery, book-making and jute diversification.

Speaking to Business Standard, Nabanita Bhattacharya, chief functionary of Shakti, said, "A lot of young people from poor families do not manage to find jobs even after finishing primary schooling. In the last five years of our operation, we have realised that proper skill-based training can fetch jobs to people who are otherwise unemployed."

Shakti's total training cost per beneficiary for a three-month EDP works out to around Rs 1,250. The funds for these programmes have been made available through employment schemes of the Centre and the State.

The purpose of EDP is to motivate, guide and assist the first generation entrepreneurs in setting up their own tiny units. So far, 38 people have already started their businesses after availing loan from banks and financial institutions.

Bhattacharya says, "Today, five of our beneficiaries have a business turnover of over Rs 20 lakh per year."

Mina Mondol, who is one such entrepreneur, trained at Shakti. She had finished primary schooling and at the age of 20 came up with the idea of starting a button-fixing unit at her residence. Her mother used to stitch blouses and after her father's death this was a solution she found to keep the family make ends meet.

Mondol says, "Initially it was very difficult to convince the local tailors to send the stitched shirts or garments to me. But because till then there were no such unit in the vicinity and I charged very nominal money for my work, I started getting work gradually."

With the money flowing in, Mondol started buying more machines, thereby increasing her production output. Mondol also participated in Shakti's EDP training programme where she picked up proper business management skills.

In 1994, Mondol availed some loan from a government-sponsored scheme and expanded her business. She has repaid the loan in due course of time.

She became popular, especially among the garment or hosiery manufacturers and was soon urged to set up an automatic stitching unit by some of her big clients. She was assured of big job orders by them.

Thereafter, Mondol set up a fully automatic stitching unit with her own resources. Recently she expanded her unit and has taken a term loan of Rs 10 lakhs from a financial institution. Her residence has been converted into a factory. Her business turnover today, on an average, is around Rs 50 lakh per year.

"My next plan is to start an automatic garment cutting unit. My mother and younger brother are also working with me," Mondol says. Mondol, who did not have a job till some time ago, today provides employment to around 30 people.

Bhattacharya said, "We also work with women who are below the poverty line. These women have hardly ever been to a school and are usually conservative housewives with little or no support. We help them form self-help groups."

Till date, around 1,530 women beneficiaries have been trained under various trades at Shakti. Of the 1,530 trained beneficiaries, 400 women have already taken up income-generating activities.