SHILLONG, DEC 23: The North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) has recently undertaken a programme to train women folk in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya in agarbatti masala rolling.
The programme is implemented in association with Women for Integrated Sustainable Empowerment (WISE), a Shillong-based NGO working for the welfare of women in rural areas.
NECTAR project advisor RD West K said that under the programme, five training camps were organised at Marmain, Pahamjri, Pisamhuru and Rongsahep recently. He said NECTAR has also provided two agarbatti masala rolling machines to each of the five agarbatti stick making units located in these four villages.
Over hundred women are trained during the training programme, he said.
Stating these women have all along been engaged in stick making in these existing stick making units, the project advisor said, “But they were not able to add value to the stick as most of the value addition is in subsequent activities like masala rolling and incensing,” adding “It is expected that masala rolling should double the existing income levels of these women.”
According to West K, the outputs from these units will be integrated with the incensing and packaging units in order to ensure that the forward linkages will provide a steady market and source of NECTAR proposes to run such programmes of technology up-gradation in order to increase the value addition at the village level and thereby raise the income levels of self help groups, especially women.
In the state of Meghalaya, NECTAR has been collaborating with the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority in implementing its policies and programmes in the state.
NECTAR has a target of training, technology up-gradation and market access to at least ten thousand persons in states of the North East in different skill sets in the village economy for the next six months, West said.- By Our Reporter
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