Women brick-making groups turning mini-entrepreneurs

Kundurpi (Anantapur): The state government is encouraging rural women, who are members of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for the establishment of brick making units. Each unit is manned by 2-3 women.

They supply bricks to the state government housing programme and earn anywhere from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 per month each depending upon their production output and availability of labour. There are about 36 groups each with a membership of 10 women and each group is running 3-4 brick making units and equally sharing the profits. 

DRDA brick making units coordinator Annapoorna talking to The Hans India stated that the women do not have marketing problems as the units supply bricks to the AP State Housing Corporation and the same in turn pays for the supplied bricks.

Every day, the Housing Corporation requires 5 lakh bricks for executing the housing programme in the district.  About 36 SHGs are presently operating in the district while 20 groups are in the brick-making.

Women SHGs in the district are emerging as mini-entrepreneurs, thanks to the state government policy to engage women groups in establishing brick-making units. Women groups in the district stand first in the state in the establishment of 36 brick making units called as ‘Nirmitha Kendras.’ 

Each group is manufacturing 1,000 bricks per shift and about 4 lakh bricks by all the units in a month. These bricks are supplied to the Housing Corporation for the execution of the weaker sections housing programme.

The brick-making units are tied up with the NREGS scheme wherein the women groups, who also hold job cards at the village level are paid wages under the NREGS programme.  

The women who produce bricks sell the bricks to the Housing Corporation who in turn pay Rs 18.2 per brick. Each women group consist of 10 members and each group runs 3 to 4 units. They produce 100 bricks in a single shift in a day and the group totally produce 1,000 bricks in one single day. 

Rajeshwari, a member of the women group in Atmakur village talking to The Hans India said that she is very happy to be part of an enterprise that contributes to building houses for the poor.

Trained by the DRDA and the Housing Corporation, she stated that she considers herself as a partner in entrepreneurship that is manufacturing raw material for building houses and state government establishments including community halls, Anganwadi buildings and other community and public assets. A beaming Rajeshwari says that she is a proud partner of a small-scale industry. 

Subbalakshmi, another SHG member and partner in the brick-making unit says that the group is able to produce 30,000 bricks in a month and earning Rs 5.4 lakh. After setting aside some amount for capital investment in the brick making for raw material like cement etc, each member is able to earn Rs 10,000 each which is a substantial amount for a family in rural economy.

DRDA project director  Rama Rao told  'The Hans India' that 36 Kendras are producing substantial number of bricks. Units are now running in Atmakur, Raptadu, Kalyandurg, Kambadur, Settur, Kundurpi, Rayadurg, D.Hirehal, Kanekal, Tadipatri, Puttaparthi and Penukonda mandals.

In the 2017-18 year the DRDA project director says that the units will be expanded substantially as women consider the running of units as a highly profitable proposition.