Although Bihar has been a dry state for many years now, a fresh black marketing channel for liquor had started after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced the prohibition on drugs. The police started cracking down on the black marketeers, and every day, huge amount of liquor was being seized.
2011-batch IAS officer Rahul Kumar, CEO, Bihar Rural Livelihood Promotion Society and Commissioner, MNREGA, came up with a unique idea to convert the seized liquor bottles into bangles, and under his leadership, the first Jeevika Chudi Nirman Kendra started operations.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, the officer, who also holds the additional charge of Mission Director, Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali, shared details about his bangle project.
A BANGLE MANUFACTURING CENTRE
The first Jeevika Chudi Nirman Kendra was inaugurated on 26 November this year by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the occasion of Drug De-Addiction Day. The centre has been set up in Sabalpur village of Patna district under the aegis of Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department and Rural Development Department. In this centre, bangles will be made from the remains of confiscated liquor bottles.
FINANCIAL HELP
For the implementation of this scheme, financial assistance of Rs. 1 crore was provided by the Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department.
The bangle manufacturing factory has been set up on the basis of state-of-the-art industrial parameters under the supervision of technical experts from Firozabad, famous for glass bangles.
JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR JEEVIKA DIDIS
Mr. Kumar said, “This scheme will solve two purposes at one time. It will help to use the bottles of liquors, recycle it in the form of bangles, thereby saving the environment from a large amount of waste. At the same time, it will also provide job opportunity to hundreds of women who are part of the Jeevika Mission and are known as the Jeevika Didis.”
About 150 Jeevika Didis and their family members are being linked with employment in the Sabalpur bangle factory. They will be trained by experts from Firozabad.
Till now about 10 artisans of this factory have been trained. A gas fired furnace with a capacity of 2 tons has been constructed in this factory, which is an important step taken for the protection of the environment as well as the safety of the artisans working in the factory.
Mr. Kumar further informed that the bangles will be sold on the e-portal www.shop.brlps.in.
