Women Becoming Economically Independent with Phulkari in Punjab

Biz2Credit Advisor — Fri, 06 May 2011 10:36:49 +0000

Phulkari can also be a means of earning and this is proved by a self-help group comprising of 3000 women members. Patiala district women have learned the art of becoming economically independent. Many women working as skilled embroiderers are earning handsome money and now they draw respect from their male partners.

Jasbir Kaur (45) is one such women of Thuha village who is earning independently. Her companions Suresh Rani and Pratibha Rani who were worst off now boast of PAN cards and income tax returns after joining the self-help group. The best thing about the Self Help group is that it helps other women learn the art of embroidery as every woman teaches others. Currently, there are 3,000 women in Punjab who are earning their living from ‘phulkari’ and they are organized in 50 self-help groups (SHGs).

Handicrafts made by rural women are exhibited in countries like Malaysia, Bahrain and China. This method of earning first got started on an experimental basis in 1994 when Patiala-based artist Rekha Mann started to make new designs in phulkari in all its contemporary forms. Patiala Handicraft Workshop Cooperative Society (PHWCS) then got registered in 1997 with the Punjab Cooperative Society. After registration, proposals got flooded from organizations like the Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi), National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) and Union ministry of MSME for running entrepreneurial development courses for empowering women in Punjab. Now more than 200,000 women are found engaged in Punjab doing phulkari work.

The turning point came with the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) short-listing women for SFURTI (Scheme for Regeneration of Traditional Industry). The society runs a common facilitation centre with grant of 10 million and panchayat land in Thuha village.

Phulkari cluster of Punjab is one among the 79 clusters in India created with the implementation of the Cluster Development Programme.

This article was submitted by Rohit Arora, co-founder of Biz2Credit. Biz2Credit is a small business marketplace that connects entrepreneurs with financing options and advice to grow their business. Send all questions to
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Budget 2009: Small business tax reforms-some ups, some downs

Biz2Credit Advisor — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:08:24 +0000

The Union Budget gives some small businesses the benefit of not paying advance taxes in the 2010-11 fiscal year.

Businesses with an annual turnover of less than Rs 40 lakh have the option to not maintain their books of accounts and pay a fixed income tax of 8 percent of their revenue, said the SME Times.

Other positive reforms include doing away with the fringe benefit tax, income tax surcharge and the commodity transaction tax, which could make raw materials cheaper for small business owners.

The introduction of an 8 percent excise duty on man-made fiber and yarn was a surprise hit to small businesses. However, there is an extension of the interest subvention for the textile industry has been extended to March 2010.

Small Business Loans: Biz2Credit.in » income tax

Women Becoming Economically Independent with Phulkari in Punjab

Budget 2009: Small business tax reforms-some ups, some downs