Doctor-turned IAS officer and Collector of Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur district, Dr Priyanka Shukla has initiated a unique move that ensures employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to women in the tribal-dominated region, and provides fresh food to children at schools for their midday meals. As part of the campaign, called JashFresh, members of the Bhagwati Self-Helped Group, which is active in the Duldula block, and Jagriti Self-Helped Group, which is operational in the Kansabel block, are undertaking farming of vegetables, and supplying fresh produce to schools for midday-meals. The self-helped groups also supplying vegetables to around 22 residential schools operational in the region.
The initiative, encouraged by Collector Priyanka Shukla, helps the women who are members of the self-helped groups become financially independent.
With 10 members, the Bhagwati Self-Helped Group is growing vegetables over 13 acres, while the Jagriti Self-Helped Group is actively carrying out farming over 15 acres of land by engaging its 12 members as the workforce. These self-helped groups produce around 2.5 quintal of vegetables on a daily basis, and earning Rs 8000-Rs 10000 a day.
“Earlier, we didn’t have much work, and now, with JashFresh, we are earning very well. The campaign has not just given us a platform to connect with an employment-oriented activity but changed our living standard remarkably by making us economically strong,” says a member of the Jagriti self-helped group.
Another member says the campaign has also given the women recognition.
JashFresh, which was launched in Duldula and Kansabel blocks, will soon be launched in the entire district. The district administration may also increase the acreage under cultivation the innovative ‘JashFresh’ initiative so that more women can be linked to the campaign. Apart from ensuring fresh vegetables to schools, and giving women a employment avenue, the ‘JashFresh’ campaign has emerged as an effective tool to eliminate the involvement of middlemen as the produce is directly sold to school managements by the self-help groups. Elimination of middlemen from the chain benefits both, school managements, as well as self-help groups because schools get fresh vegetables at a good price, while the women get the full price for the produce, and timely payments.
“The campaign ‘JashFresh’ was launched with the intention to empower women self-help groups in the district and ensure fresh and clean vegetables to schools for midday-meals. Moreover, this is an effort to establish a brand from the district. The positive results of JashFresh will motivate us to take the campaign to the next level, and spread it across the district,” said Jashpur Collector Priyanka Shukla.
