25 years of Kudumbashree

25 years of Kudumbashree

• Recently, President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the silver jubilee celebrations of Kudumbashree, the largest self-help group network in the country.
• The president also released a handbook called “chuvadu” (meaning footsteps) that outlined ideas for the future of the movement and highlighted its achievements so far.

Kudumbashree Mission

• The Kudumbashree is the poverty eradication and women empowerment programme implemented by the State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) of the Government of Kerala.
• The name Kudumbashree in Malayalam language means ‘prosperity of the family’.
• Kudumbashree was set up in 1997 following the recommendations of a three member Task Force appointed by the Kerala government.
• In 2011, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India recognised Kudumbashree as the State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM) under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM).

 Working:

• Kudumbashree operates at the grassroots level, organizing women into neighbourhood groups (NHGs), which then form larger community-level and ward-level organizations.
• It has a three-tier structure for its women community network, with Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs) at the lowest level, Area Development Societies (ADS) at the middle level, and Community Development Societies (CDS) at the local government level. 

Significance

• Studies and surveys, like the Multidimensional Poverty Index by NITI Aayog, have emphasised Kudumbashree’s achievement in reducing poverty.
• It has established “Janakeeya Hotels” across the state, offering affordable meals. Currently, it operates 125 restaurants providing meals for just Rs 20.
• The skills and capabilities of the Kudumbashree women were utilised in numerous ways to ensure the management of COVID-19 in the state.
• The mission has also led to women members venturing into organic farming, tourism, agri-business, poultry, food processing and several micro-enterprises. The state mission has an e-commerce platform for marketing of Kudumbashree products.
  • Example: Amrutham Nutrimix, a branded nutritional food mix produced and distributed by Kudumbashree for children at anganwadis, had bagged the Glenmark Nutrition Award for 2022 that was organised in partnership with the UN’s World Food Programme.
• The process of community development involves the collective efforts by the community members to take actions and generate solutions to common problems. In this way, development can be attained only through the efficient functioning of the CBOs. In Kerala, the presence of the women’s community network of Kudumbashree contributes to the empowerment, livelihood management, and capability enhancement of the women associated with this CBO.

Practice Questions for Prelims

The Self Help Groups (SHGs) have been set in India with an aim to help the rural poor, especially
a) Unemployed youth
b) Women
c) Children
d) Senior citizens

Ans. b)

Mains Practice Question

What are the unique features of kutumbshree programme of Kerala. How the programme helped
in socio-economic mobilisation of women. Analyse.

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