Ranjit Kaur of Ghumait village near Ludhiana is still thrilled about her success at the recently-concluded Kisan Mela at PAU. The hot-and-sweet chilli pickle made by her and other members of the Dhan-Dhan Baba Nand Singh self-help group were a hit at the mela.

Members of this newly-constituted self-help group had made 150 kilogram of pickle and were able to sell almost all of it.

“We are happy with the response and now plan to make more such pickles depending on the season,” Ranjit says.

Members of the Chardi Kalan self-help group in Jhande village near Ludhiana made around 100 kilograms of mixed fruit jam. “The jam was made couple of days before the mela and it was very fresh. We sold around 80 kilogram of it,” says Jaswinder, member of the group. Another member, Hardeep Kaur says, “Even though the residents have a choice buying any leading brand of jam, they prefer our product because of its high quality.”

These self-help groups have given a new avenue of employment to rural women.”We are all housewives and have much time on our hands. This way we come together for a constructive activity and utilise our time well. There is a market for the products made by us,” says Jaswinder.

Other products made by such self-help groups include detergents, phenyls and candles.

Dr Surjit Singh, deputy manager at the Ludhiana Milk Plant and nodal officer for these groups, says employment opportunities among rural women are being promoted as part of the STEP (Strengthening, Training and Employment Programme) scheme of the Central government, and is executed by the Punjab Women Dairy Project. “We have 37 such self-help groups are now looking for more marketing opportunities for the products made by women,” he says.

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