Next time you go to pick up the famous bhajias that Sabarmati Central Jail inmates prepare, consider picking a fabric or home décor piece made by the women inmates as well. In a bid to make women self-reliant and productive, international women’s wing of Vishwa Gujarati Samaj is setting up permanent industrial unit for women to make home decors.
Bhumi Pujan will be performed for the unit on March 8 to mark International Women’s Day. Julie Vakharia, advisor of the international women’s wing, says, “We did about 10 skill up-gradation and training workshops involving more than 300 male and female jail inmates in the last 8 months. We realized there is a dire need to set up a permanent industrial unit for these inmates to create opportunities for them to earn and become selfreliant and productive.”
Raw material and daily fixed wages of Rs 60 to 80 for six hours would be provided to the women by jail authorities to participate in this project. Vishwa Gujarati Samaj is to invest in constructing a permanent shed under which the women would work and would also provide the trainers for these women. D J Vankar, senior jailer, said, “This is a good beginning in making inmates self-reliant.”
