Self-help group moving towards prosperity by increasing livelihood of group by producing Kosafal

Raipur. Self-help group of village Bundela of Janjgir Champa district has proved the saying ‘where there is a will there is a way’, members of this group have started earning profit of 70 to 75 thousand rupees per year. Environment is becoming greener due to plantation of 41 thousand Arjun saplings under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Silk Department, on the other hand, self-help group is moving towards prosperity by increasing income along with livelihood through these plantations. This prosperity is being seen in village Bundela of Pamgarh development block, 40 km away from district headquarters Janjgir Champa. Arjun (Kauha) saplings were planted here about four years ago with the convergence of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Silk Department. After planting, when the plants started growing, the work of cocoon production was started in them and by rearing cocoon worms, the members of the self-help group started earning a profit of 70 to 75 thousand rupees per year. Bundela Gram Panchayat is in Pamgarh development block of Janjgir-Champa. Here about 10 hectares of government land was lying unused and vacant. Which was illegally occupied, a plan was made to free this land from the occupiers and start using this land for the prosperity of the livelihood of the women of the village with the help of Gram Panchayat. A plan was prepared by the Silk Department to plant Arjun on this land. And in the year 2018, a target of planting 41 thousand saplings was set by preparing a 4-year action plan from the Silk Department and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA). For this, administrative approval of Rs 14.188 lakh was given by MNREGA in the form of plantation and water conservation and storage. In the plantation work, the job card holder families worked through Mahatma Gandhi NREGA and the technical guidance of the Silk Department improved the work and this four-year project was started. In the first year, 40 thousand plants were planted in which the MNREGA workers of the village got direct employment of 918 man days and also got wages. Deputy Director Silk Manish Panwar said that in 2018, Arjun plants were planted scientifically. For this, all the plants were planted in rows at a prescribed distance from plant to plant, so that they could grow well. At present, their length has increased to 6 to 7 feet. Here the villagers of the village started the work of production of Kosafal by forming Kosa Worm Farming Self-Help Group and the group has also been trained by the Silk Department and technical guidance is also being given at regular intervals. In four years, while doing the work of plantation and their maintenance, 3 thousand 429 man days were also created for the MNREGA workers. Manoj Sahu of the group says that by doing this work along with farming, additional income is being earned. Youths and women are also getting employment in the village. Annapurna Sahu, Namrata Sahu, Surendra Kumar Sahu, Sonsay Sahu, Satish Nirmalkar are earning income by working in this work. This year 25 thousand Kosa fruits are expected to be produced. Which will be sold to local and Champa’s Kosa cloth traders and profit will be earned. In the previous year also, the group was earning 70 to 75 thousand rupees.