Samastipur: Women associated with Jivika self-help groups are set to get a fresh self-employment opportunity in Samastipur, with Sudha sales centres planned across all 306 panchayats of the district under the Chief Minister’s Women’s Employment Scheme.
A total of 996 Jivika Didis had applied to operate the outlets. Following the application process, 306 women were selected through an online lucky draw, with one woman chosen from each panchayat.
One Sudha Centre in Every Panchayat
Under the initiative, one Sudha sales centre will be established in each of Samastipur’s 306 panchayats.
Since multiple women had applied for outlets in several panchayats, the selection was conducted through an online lucky draw to ensure transparency. The selected women have now been allotted sales centres in their respective panchayats.
₹60,000 Financial Assistance
Setting up each Sudha sales centre is estimated to cost ₹75,000. Of this, ₹60,000 will be provided as financial assistance through Jivika, while the selected woman will contribute the remaining ₹15,000.
The selected beneficiaries will also receive training and guidance to help them operate the outlets. Equipment such as deep freezers is also planned to facilitate the safe storage of dairy products.
Milk, Paneer, Ghee and Ice Cream to Be Available
The new outlets will stock a range of Sudha products, including milk, curd, ghee, paneer, lassi, buttermilk, sweets, flavoured milk and ice cream.
The initiative is expected to improve access to dairy products in rural areas while expanding the reach of Sudha outlets at the panchayat level.
New Income Opportunity for 306 Jivika Didis
According to Santosh Kumar Singh, Information Manager at Jivika, the initiative is aimed at increasing the income of rural women and helping them become financially self-reliant through self-employment.
The establishment of sales centres across all panchayats is expected to create a regular income opportunity for the 306 selected women while also supporting the rural economy.
The initiative is being implemented jointly by Jivika and the Bihar State Milk Co-operative Federation (COMFED), linking women’s self-help groups with the dairy retail network across Samastipur.
