Jaleswar: Kedarnath Parida, 55, a resident of Nampe village under Jaleswar block in Balasore, has set up a small-scale industry to make coir products and provide livelihood to poor and helpless women and widows.
Parida, who was unable to continue his studies beyond Class X due to financial constraints, has set an example for those who are jobless and unable to decide what to take up for self-reliance.
At the age of 15, he started tailoring in the village, but could not get enough to feed his family. Finally, he left for Mumbai to work in a garment factory. After working for a few years there, he came back to his village and decided to set up a coir factory. He submitted a project proposal to the manager of the District Industries Centre, but it was not approved. Parida was not disappointed.
“It was in 2014, I had applied to the Coir Board in Bhubaneswar for the project which was approved in 2015. The UCO Bank at Sugo sanctioned me Rs 5 lakh for the project,” he recalled.
With help from his wife and son, Parida has been churning out a variety of coir products like doormats and ropes which have become popular among a large number of customers in Balasore, Bhadrak and Mayurbhanj districts and even parts of West Bengal.
Kedarnath brings coir from Sakhigopal in Puri district and makes ropes and colourful doormats with attractive designs. Most importantly, the industry has been a source of livelihood for helpless women.
Kedarnath had got the women workers trained in making coir products and made them a skilled force. Each woman worker engaged in the factory is able to earn at least Rs 2,000 to 4,000 per month.
However, there is no approach road to the factory. “It’s difficult to transport or carry coir products to vehicles,” Parida lamented.
He observed that if the government provides him more support, he could produce high quality products and create more job opportunities for the local people. At present, he has 15 women workers.
PNN
