For 15 women living in slums of Vyasarpadi, the plastic ban has brought good tidings.
With the help of an NGO, they have started stitching cloth and jute bags and will soon be supplying them to traders across the city.
The NGO, Aarvam, has been conducting tailoring classes for women, school dropouts and teenaged girls in the slums of Vyasarpadi and nearby localities since 2003. When the plastic ban was announced, the NGO started training women in stitching bags.
A total of 15 women were trained in the first batch. “We recently got an order to supply bags to a dealer in Bunder Street. We will be training more women in the coming weeks,” said Maria Philip, project manager of the NGO.
The women also do printing work on the bags, if required. If the material is provided, they charge anywhere between ₹3 and ₹5 per bag, including stitching and printing. Including the material, the charge is a minimum of ₹5 per bag.
Improved earning
B. Milka, a housewife in Vysarpadi, has undergone training and is now stitching bags. “I took this up to support my family. I attended tailoring classes here and have been stitching clothes. On an average, I earn around ₹15,000 per month. Now, I will be stitching bags too and this will enhance my income,” she said.
Similar is the hope of S. Gomathi, who aims to provide good education to her children with the money. Uma Maheshwari, who also attended the classes, said that the plastic ban had come as a boon.
“We are helping in promoting environment-friendly products and at the same time earning money,” she said.
D. Rajeshwari, project officer in the NGO, said they they help the women purchase sewing machines. “We will be marketing the bags and getting more persons to purchase the bags,” she said.