SHG women turn entrepreneurs by running brick-making units

Atmakur (Anantapur): Women Self Help Groups (SHGs) in the district are emerging as 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 45 brick making units called as ‘Nirmitha Kendras’.DRDA project director Venkateshwarlu has taken keen interest in the establishment of the units involving SHGs. About 42 women groups in the district are now running 45 brick-making units and earning handsome profits.

Highlights:

• 42 women groups in the district are engaged in making bricks
• Bricks made by women SHGs are supplied to the State Housing Corporation at Rupees 18.20 per brick

Each group is manufacturing 1,000 bricks per shift and about 4 lakh bricks by all the 45 units in a month. These bricks are supplied to the State 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 18.20 per brick. Each woman SHG consists of 10 members. They produce 100 bricks in a single shift in a day and the entire group produces 1000 bricks in a single day.

Akumarthi Sunitha, 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 member of an 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 Sunitha 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 earned 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.Venkateshwarlu told The Hans India that 45 Kendras are producing substantial number of bricks in addition to the Nirmitha Kendras set up by the Housing Corporation.

The SHGs in the district stands above other districts by coming forward to establish 45 brick-making units and being the motivating force for other women in the state. More women are coming forward to establish brick-making units and supply bricks to even housing construction in other districts. 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 official says that the units will be expanded substantially as women consider the running of units as a highly profiteering industrial venture.

By Ravi P Benjamin