Empowering Rural Women Through Handloom Micro Enterprises: A Case Study of Udalguri District, Assam

Background: The handloom industry in Assam showcases a remarkable diversity that extends across both rural and urban areas which serves as a supplementary source of income for numerous households in the state. Nalkhamara, a village in Udalguri district of Assam became the workplace for a group of 15 most talented weavers who grouped to form a SHG called Rampar Self Help Group. But unfortunately, they faced significant challenges due to limited resources and absence of marketing organizations. In order to address the issues, the SHG reached out to the KVK, Udalguri for assistance and accordingly, the KVK conducted a demonstration on capacity building of women weavers to enhance their skills in weaving and provided guidance on modern marketing techniques etc. Hence, the present study was planned with the objectives to analyze the economic impact on weavers before and after KVK intervention, types of products manufactured and the constraints faced by them. Methods: The study has followed the case study method with a total of 15 weavers of Rampar SHG having training under KVK, Udalguri. A pre tested questionnaire was prepared to collect data. To measure the economic impact, parameters like gross cost and return, net return, B: C ratio etc. were considered before and after intervention. To evaluate the problems of weavers, open ended questions were asked. Suitable statistical tools were used to analyze the data. Result: With the intervention of KVK Udalguri, the weavers of the SHG able to earn average annual income between Rs. 13.00 to Rs.15.00 lakhs and could able to produced twenty types of diversified handloom products. The constraints faced by them were like improper time management, high input price, exploitation by intermediaries etc.