In the heart of south Kashmir’s Shopian town, a gentle and consistent click-clack rhythm resonates from a knitting centre, where four small machines are hard at work. A group of women diligently operate these machines, crafting an assortment of vibrant woollens – jumpers, mufflers, socks, and gloves adorned with intricate floral motifs.
The machines consume skeins of yarn, transforming them into beautiful creations that blend traditional craftsmanship with modern design sensibilities. Amidst the whirring of the machines, 38-year-old Mehbooba stands as the guiding force, supervising the entire process.
Her watchful eye and occasional guidance ensure that the workers seamlessly transition between changing threads and designs, creating pieces that are as functional as they are aesthetically pleasing.
Mehbooba, a resident of Handew – a village known for its prosperous apple farmers, located just 11 kilometres from Shopian town – established this knitting centre in 2017.
The initiative came about when the officials from the National Rural Livelihood Mission ( NRLM) visited the village and provided information to the residents about the benefits offered under the program.
Mehbooba formed a Self Help Group (SHG) and soon established the centre, receiving basic training from the Rural Self Employment Training Institute ( RSETI). The RSETIs are overseen by banks in collaboration with both the Government of India and state governments.
These specialized institutions are aimed at providing essential skill training and enhancement opportunities for underprivileged rural youth to address the issue of unemployment.
They are supported and administered by banks with full cooperation from state governments.
“It was a basic skill training programme where I was taught how to operate machines. I also learnt knitting different designs during the programme,” said Mehbooba.
After setting up the centre, Mehbooba engaged some local women whom she not only trained but also offered working opportunities with her centre. She claims to have trained at least 100 women from the district.
“Many of them have bought their knitting equipment and are working from their homes,” said Mehbooba.
She said that all of them are earning enough to at least meet their basic expenses.
According to Mehbooba, her small unit produces at least 12 to 15 items a day.
“We knit jumpers, mufflers, socks, gloves, covers and other woollens, fetching me over Rs 25,000 monthly,” she said.
The NRLM programme, which is being run in the Union Territory of J&K as Jammu and Kashmir State Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRLM- UMEED) provided enough financial assistance to the young woman to start her initiative. It also enabled her to install stalls across J & K to showcase her products.
” I set up stalls in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions and by dint of these stalls I not only showcased my products adorned with different designs, but I also got an opportunity to interact with other entrepreneurs,” she said.
The young woman, however, does not stop here; she went on to work as a trained Poshu Sakhi and is playing a crucial role in offering a host of services to the dairy farmers in her area.
“We generate awareness among the farmers about different diseases attacking the livestock; vaccination programs and feed conservation among others,” Mehbooba said.
Irfan Bashir, District Programme Manager, Financial Inclusion JKRLM (UMEED) said, ” We provide all financial assistance available under the scheme to the SHGs and facilitate their training at various RSETIs.”