As part of INOXAP’s CSR Project ‘Udaan - The Wings of Transformation,’ skilling workshops were set up in the villages of Bajudih & Jharnamuri, in the Bokaro district of Jharkhand in August, 2018. During this period, training on incense stick making was imparted to 30 women between the two villages.
Since the training programme, Ms. Laxmi Devi of Village Bajudih has seen immense success and is a model VLE (Village Level Entrepreneur). Post the training period, with a meagre 5kg of raw material (initially purchased to understand the business), and with the support of her husband, Mr. Ranjeet Mahatha, she started to sell her products first at the village level, and is now selling her products at the district markets. Since the start of her incense stick making activities, she has earned INR 93,807 in net profit and has done business worth INR 360,795. Her business was also supported by the VDC, through the provision of funds on a loan, which allowed her to expand her operations to meet the demand. Her incense stick making unit, which was initially set up in the single room household that she lives in, with her husband and son, has expanded to a capacity where she is able to provide employment opportunities to 3 women from her village. In January 2020, she installed an automatic incense stick machine to increase productivity, and has applied for a GST (Goods and Services Tax) Number, through which she can avail formal bank loans, and is the first step in formalizing her business.