The Kudumbashree Story

Women Empowerment

Streams of Enterprises

The enterprises that Kudumbashree promotes can be broadly classified into three streams.

  • Special enterprises: These are enterprises that the Mission promotes based on an overall design. Groups of entrepreneurs start enterprises using the same or similar designs availing support, guidance, and training from the Mission. Special enterprises include Information Technology Units and Information Technology Enabled Services, Food supplement production units (AmrithamNutrimix), Apparel units, livestock farming projects such as Nutrimix, Snthwanam, and Clean Well Units.
  • Micro enterprises: These are enterprises initiated by individuals of groups availing support from Kudumbashree; there are also enterprises that had been started through some other scheme such as Grama Panchayats through Plan Fund, Special Central Assistance, SGSY, or Linkage Loan, and further joined the mission’s network of enterprises for availing further support – financial or otherwise. These enterprises fall in the sub-categories of production, services, trading, and sales and marketing.
  • Samagra Enterprises: These are enterprises that came up as part of Kudumbashree Mission’s Samagra initiative for integrated approach to enterprises. These projects have also been taken up in specific localities utilising certain traditional strengths, and were formulated and implemented with the support of the three-tier Panchayats and technical support agencies.

 

The Samagra approach to enterprises

 

Samagra has been a comprehensive approach to enterprises based on the learning from the problems faced by the enterprises promoted by Kudumbashree. Enterprises addressing end to end processes from raw materials to marketing of final products were the hallmark of Samagra approach.

  • Scaling up of enterprises through number of units working together, for economies of scale
  • Integrated approach to projects typically involving multi-sectoral components
  • Comprehensive approach to the entire value chain ranging from raw materials to marketing or final products
  • Focus on technology and quality improvement
  • Tie ups with professional agencies and institutions with expertise

Institutional convergence and resource pooling (three tier panchayats investing part of the funds needed)