Samastipur, Aug 12 (IANS) The nationwide ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, being organised to mark the 150th anniversary of the song Vande Mataram, has created significant livelihood opportunities for Jeevika Didis in Bihar’s Samastipur district. Women associated with the Jeevika self‑help groups (Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society) have received orders for more than 80,000 Tricolours from government departments, industrial units, community organisations and the general public.
To meet the large volume of orders on time, over 1,600 Jeevika Didis are working day and night both at stitching centres across the district’s blocks and from their homes. Keeping affordability in mind, each flag has been priced at Rs 25.
Every Jeevika group in the blocks has been assigned the task of producing around 4,000 flags so that the national flag reaches as many households as possible and the campaign gains wide momentum.
Dhananjay Kumar, Jeevika Project Manager in Samastipur, said the Government of India has issued clear directives for the campaign. Following instructions from the District Magistrate, every block has been made responsible for ensuring the availability of the Tricolour.
So far, more than 10,000 flags have been dispatched to the district office and various blocks, while several thousand more are ready for delivery. At one centre alone, about 4,000 flags are prepared for the Ujiyarpur block and will be sent to other blocks as required, he said.
He added that the core objective of Jeevika is to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to rural women so that every Jeevika Didi can contribute to her family’s income.
Neetu Kumari, in‑charge of the Jeevika Women’s Cluster Federation, said around 50 women are currently engaged in flag‑making at their centre. Orders worth Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 have been received from the block level, of which work worth about Rs 10,000 has already been completed. Women who own sewing machines are also producing flags from home after receiving the necessary training.
Babita Kumari, a Jeevika Didi involved in the work, said their centre normally produces garments such as nighties, Anganwadi uniforms, masks, petticoats and salwar‑suits. At present, however, priority is being given to making the Tricolour. She added that just as the women produced masks during the COVID‑19 pandemic, they are now contributing to the national campaign with pride.
–IANS
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