Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): All-women Self-Help Group (SHG) has made eco-friendly rakhis themed on the Ladli Behna Yojana to thank Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The ec-friendly rakhis are made of cow dung. All the 10 members of the ‘Gobar Shilpa Swasahayta Samooh’ are beneficiaries of the Ladli Behna Yojana and have so far received Rs 3,000 each. They say that they will tie these rakhis to their brothers.
“The idea is to convey a message to them that just as Shivraj Bhaiya has come to the aid of crores of his sisters, they too should help their sisters if and when they need help,” said Pushpa Rathore, a graduate in fine arts. According to Sadhna Sengar, they have used 1.5x1.5 inch pieces of cow dung cakes to make the rakhis. “We carved out a hole in the pieces, placed a piece of glass and the photograph in it and then attached strings on both the sides,” she explained.
They have also designed rakhis with pictures of CM Chouhan , Prime Minister Narendra Modi and of Hindu religious symbols like Trishul, Swastika, Om and couch shells.
FP Photo
The four-year-old SHG had obtained a loan of Rs 10,000 under Pradhan Mantri SVANidhi Yojana in its first year and of Rs 20,000 in its second year. They are next planning to secure a loan of Rs 50,000. “We are thankful to Modi ji for launching a scheme for providing small loans to make people like us economically self-reliant.
And that is why, we have made rakhis with Modi ji’s picture to thank him and as a symbol of our gratitude towards him,” said Draupadi Rathore. Renu Vishwakarma said that they had made plain gobar rakhis last year but they were told by the customers that we should make them more attractive.
“And that is why, we have made more colourful and fancy rakhis this year,” she said. The gobar rakhis made by the SHG have found buyers in Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Bhubaneswar and other parts of India and even in Indonesia.
“We have dispatched more than 2,000 pieces of rakhi in Delhi,” Mahak said. They have made a limited number of pieces of the Ladli Behna, Modi and Shivraj rakhis. If the response is good, they will make more of them.
“The buyers of these rakhis would be indirectly contributing to Gau Raksha,” Pushpa added.
