Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government is emphasizing on promoting local products made in the state. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also emphasized on the use of indigenous products many times. In such a situation, now the Uttarakhand government is talking about using local products as much as possible in daily life. Along with this, instructions have also been given to use the products prepared by women self-help groups in government programs. In fact, CM Dhami on Monday inaugurated the state-level program under the ‘Mukhyamantri Sashakt Bahana Utsav Yojana’ at the Secretariat. During this, the Rakshabandhan stalls of women self-help groups set up in the secretariat premises were also inspected.
After inspecting the stalls, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had a virtual dialogue with women self-help groups in all the development blocks of the state. CM Dhami has given instructions to issue a government order to use only souvenirs, shawls and gifts made by women self-help groups in all the government programs and ceremonies of the state. Along with this, the Chief Minister has instructed all the DMs to provide training to all the women associated with self-help groups in the Growth Center, to link the products prepared by the women self-help groups with the state’s umbrella brand House of Himalayas, to pay special attention to the quality control of the products made by the self-help groups and to give priority to the best packaging and marketing of the products.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the government and administration will have to work on mission mode with the vision of making the women of the state from Lakhpati Didi to Crorepati Didi. Chief Minister Dhami said that after the Global Investor Summit, the second industrial revolution has come in Uttarakhand, which should also be benefited by the women self-help groups. CM Dhami interacted with women associated with many women self-help groups of all the development blocks of every district and took detailed information like what products are being made by their self-help groups, how much profit are the self-help groups getting, how many women are associated with each self-help group, how much did the income of women increase after joining the self-help groups, what benefits did women get by working in groups, what is the status of supply of products made by women.
CM Dhami also discussed with women self-help groups about the use of digital platforms for the sale of their products. He directed the District Magistrates to cooperate and assist the women self-help groups in this regard. The Chief Minister said that women are the biggest carriers of economic and social revolution in the state. Women self-help groups were also invited to give suggestions to the government regarding further expansion of SHGs and encouragement of women in self-employment. Addressing the women self-help group, the CM said that with the guidance and cooperation of the Prime Minister, our state government is also working dedicatedly for the welfare of the mother power.
Under the “Uttarakhand State Rural Livelihood Mission”, our government has worked to organize the women of the state by connecting them with self-help groups, so that a new chapter of self-confidence, self-reliance and dignity can be added to their lives. Today, about 5 lakh women are doing their business by organizing 68 thousand self-help groups (SHGs) in the state. Today, through more than 7 thousand village organizations and more than 500 cluster organizations, the women of the state are presenting a unique example of collective leadership.
The CM said that in the year 2023, on the festival of Rakshabandhan, we had started the “Mukhyamantri Sashakt Bahana Utsav Yojana” with the aim of giving wide recognition to the products manufactured by our sisters of self-help groups. Through which our sisters succeeded in selling products worth more than Rs 7 crore by setting up more than 27 thousand stalls in various events. For effective marketing of these products, 33 nano packaging units, 17 Saras centers, 3 state level marketing centers and 8 bakery units are also being operated in 13 districts. Along with this, the products of women’s groups are also being sold through hundreds of temporary outlets on the Chardham Yatra routes.
Apart from this, under the ‘One Station, One Product’ scheme of the Central Government, special centers have been set up at Dehradun and Haridwar railway stations for the sale of products of women self-help groups. While on the one hand our government is also working to give wide recognition to our traditional products at the national and international level through the ‘House of Himalayas’ brand. At the same time, the products manufactured by the sisters under the ‘Hilans’ brand are making their strong identity not only in the state but also outside the state.
At the same time, CM Dhami said that PM Modi, while addressing all the countrymen, has said that we all have to adopt local products. Under which, all the things used in life, including those used in the home, those used in the office, should be local. On the same lines, it has already been said in the state that all the government programs will be held, products made by women’s groups will be used in all those programs.
