Women groups bear brunt of pandemic

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, February 19

With colourful cushion covers and artificial flowers lying beside them, a group of Muslim women is busy working on handicrafts in a shop. One among them stamps ‘Jai Mata Di’ on jute bags meant to be used at Vaishno Devi Shrine for carrying sanctified sweet (prasad).

The shop where Akhter works is owned by Jaan Begum, whose business is a part of a self-help group (SHG), employing six women. The group was formed by J&K Women’s Development Corporation (JKWDC) which helps market the group’s products.

Everything was well for such groups until Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board stopped purchasing their jute bags a few years ago over price issue. Covid added to their woes as their sales dipped considerably.

Jaan Begum says her group earned Rs 25 from each jute bag. “After the shrine board stopped purchasing our products, we started selling bags directly to some shopkeepers at Katra, the base camp of Vaishno Devi, but in less quantity,” she says.

Later, they started making file folders and the JKWDC helped them supply the same in government departments. That too got affected due to Covid.

JKWDC Managing Director (MD) Naheed Soz says the cost of jute fluctuates so it became difficult for such women to derive profit out of jute bags for the Vaishno Devi shrine. “We discussed the matter with the Raj Bhawan and even with the shrine board but nothing conclusive came out and the manufacturing of bags by these women was discontinued,” she says.

According to her, the board now gets jute bags from Kolkata.

J&K Women Development Corporation’s Rajouri District Manager Nasreen Gul says 200 girls have been trained in making jute bags, artificial flowers and other items in Thanamandi area of the district. Earlier, at least 10,000 bags made in Thanamandi were sent to Vaishno Devi shrine every month.

Dip in demand for their products

• Self-help groups made jute bags for Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board until the latter stopped purchasing over price issue.
• Such groups began making file folders for government departments, but Covid affected their business.