SHG women find buyers for hand-made Batik products all over India

Bhubaneshwar, 24th February, 2023: Project Hastakala, an economic development programme for SHG women of Jhagarpur & Katang panchayat started by Dalmia Cement Bharat Ltd., a subsidiary of Dalmia Bharat Ltd has witnessed success within three months of its launch. Project Hastakala, a unique ‘earning with joy’ market-linked skill development programme was launched. Around 90 SHG women are being trained in the unique tie & dye batik products and have started retailing products all over India through participation in several exhibitions including Saras Aajeevika Mela in Noida and SARAS mela in Rourkela along with sales from eCommerce platforms like Flipkart. Products worth Rs. 2.5 lakhs have been sold.

The R&R team of DCBL had identified a significant demand-supply gap for Batik products in the area and the primary reason identified was a lack of skilled craftspersons. The current programme will be scaled-up to add 120 beneficiaries from peripheral communities with the target of providing a regular income of Rs. 8000 to Rs. 10000 to each. To ensure the sustainability of the project, Dalmia Cement formed 3 nos producer groups i.e “Ujeevika”, “Aakruti”,” Unnati” and all are registered under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME). The women are now trained to design Handcrafted products like double bedsheets, single bedsheets, dress pieces, scarves, dupattas, stoles, handkerchieves etc.

Company spokesperson, DCBL shared, “There was a high demand in the market for Batik print products but due to low production, the requirement could not be catered. We saw this as an exciting prospect to build self-employment options for women in surrounding villages near our unit. Project Hastakala is an innovative way of earning with joy and provides a creative alternative for income generation. So far, the range of handmade Batik products has received excellent responses in terms of demand from various exhibitions. We are hopeful Project Hastakala will continue to flourish and encourage many women to participate in future.”

Gauging the participation and enthusiasm of the SHG women, DBCL has also collaborated with NABARD under Livelihood Enterprise Development Programme in Batik and is now conducting 2nd batch in Katang Grampanchayat, Odisha.

About Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited

Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited (DCBL), a subsidiary of Dalmia Bharat Limited (BSE Code: 542216|NSE Symbol: DALBHARAT and listed in MSE), is a leading player in the cement manufacturing segment and has been in existence since 1939. Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited prides itself on having one of the lowest carbon footprints in the cement world globally. It is the first cement company to commit to RE100, EP100 & EV100 (first triple joiner) – showing real business leadership in the clean energy transition by taking a joined-up approach. With a growing capacity, currently pegged at 37 MnT, Dalmia Cement is the fourth-largest cement manufacturing group in India by installed capacity. Spread across 10 states and 14 manufacturing units, the company is a category leader in super-specialist cement used for oil wells, railway sleepers and airstrips and is the country’s largest producer of Portland Slag Cement (PSC). Visit us a http://www.dalmiacement.com.

Media Contact

Dalmia Bharat Limited
Pooja Bharadwaj
Email: Bharadwaj.pooja@dalmiabharat.com