MADURAI: A self-help group in Dindigul was among those chosen to participate in an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the Atma Nirbhar Naari Shakti Se Samvad programme. The manager of the panchayat level federation was hailed for her efforts to recycle plastic and keep the local body clean.
S Jayanthi, leader of Indusiwa SHG and member of the Nalla Panjampatti Plastic Recycling Centre (shredder), Dindigul, was among the five SHGs selected from across the country to interact with the Prime Minister. A shed was erected for the purpose in front of the federation office at Panjampatti. The panchayat level federation was constituted in 2010 during the previous DMK regime to bring all the SHGs in a village under a single umbrella. This also improved social inclusion, as women from all castes and communities came together and they benefited from financial inclusion.
The SHG at Panjampatti has been recycling plastic they collect from the village and the shredded plastic is used for laying roads. Jayanthi and members of the SHG listened to the PM addressing them on a giant LED monitor installed for the purpose. Modi told the women that they should work for the development of their entire village without just limiting themselves to obtaining loans, earning a livelihood and repaying the loans.
In 2010, chief minister M K Stalin, who was then minister for local body administration, handed over a cheque of Rs50,000 to Jayanthi as revolving funds to the SHGs in a welfare distribution function. This became the seed money for accelerated growth of the unit. Machineries for shredding, grinding,etc.were purchased and 36 members of the SHG joined the unit. Plastic waste is punched for Rs5/kg. After processing plastic spending approximately Rs10-15/ kg, the pellets are sold for Rs30/kg. The processed plastic is purchased by contractors as an ingredient for road laying. The members of the SHG earns Rs400 per day.
Jayanthi said that their federation had recycled as much as 102 tonnes of plastic waste since 2010 and provided it for laying roads to a length of 215km. A Hindi teacher, Rajini, translated the Prime Minister’s speech to Tamil and Jayanthi’s replies to Hindi.
