Mancherial women weave magic
Meet Poudala Rajitha and Peeram Sathyavathi from Ramakrishnapur town who have turned the pandemic into an opportunity
Mancherial: At a time when many people have lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, two women entrepreneurs have not only succeeded in passing through the tough times but have also provided employment to 40 other women.
Meet Poudala Rajitha and Peeram Sathyavathi from Ramakrishnapur town who have turned the pandemic into an opportunity.
Rajitha and Sathyavathi have been operating two garment units that produce quality cloth bags, blouses, jute bags, wallets and travel bags for over 10 years. They were able to operate the units with the help of Singareni Seva Samithi, a voluntary organisation promoted and funded by Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).
“We were trained in tailoring by the SCCL and later started a unit in unused residential quarters in 2007. We initially stitched cloth travel bags, blouses and jute carry bags. We are registering profits of Rs 3 lakh per annum and have also engaged women for manufacturing the products and provide them livelihood,” Rajitha told Telangana Today.
While Rajitha is an MA in public administration, Satyavati has completed her graduation. Though they operate separate units, the duo believes in growing together rather than competing with each other and are inspiring other women in the coal belt areas. They are selling their products through supermarkets of the SCCL coal belt areas, besides showcasing their products at State-level exhibitions.
They made 50,000 face masks which were purchased by the SCCL for its employees during the lockdown. “The Singareni Seva Samithi sponsored five modern sewing machines, provided two residential quarters for operating their units and also extended support in finding marketing opportunities considering their passion for achieving self-empowerment and to transform lives of fellow women,” said M Nelson, coordinator of Singareni Seva Samithi.
The Samithi helps them in showcasing their products at Numaish, the annual industrial exhibition at Nampally in Hyderabad. They had also won the best stall award for two years during the exhibition
According to the authorities of SCCL, around 1,000 women belonging to Ramakrishnapur, Bellampalli, Mandamarri, Srirampur and Goleti towns are being trained by the coal major in tailoring, fashion design, beautician courses every year. The SCCL also provides marketing opportunities to them. Many of them are turning into successful entrepreneurs and setting examples for others to emulate.
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