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Rajesh Sharma
The Swan Women Federation, which derives its name from the Swan river in Una district, is the largest organised collective of rural women in the state. The federation is active in 72 panchayats of the district for the past four years and has over 8,000 members, who are also primary members of 632 self-help groups (SHGs) directly supported by it.
Federation chairperson Subhadra Devi says, “The multi-tier organisational setup of the federation ensures cohesion among the members, besides facilitating empowerment of women in livelihood-based activities, small savings and credit linkages, social uplift, education of children and promotion of family health and hygiene”.
“The confidence that every member derives from the strength of the collective women power stands behind each one of us whenever we are in need,” says Sushma Devi, vice-chairperson of the federation.
Offshoot of Swan river project
To begin with, the federation was an offshoot of the Swan River Integrated Watershed Management Project implemented by the Forest Department in Una district between 2006 and 2014 with financial assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The project was executed in 92 panchayats of the district, which were worst affected due to floods in the Swan river and its tributaries.
Under the integrated approach to check soil erosion and increase vegetative cover in the catchment areas of the river system, one of the activities included was construction of a series of water harvesting structures to slow down the runaway rainwater and allow greater seepage in the ground aquifer. The surplus water was also used for irrigation and fishery activities. In order to manage and maintain these resources, collectives of local farmers was required to be formed.
RK Dogra, who was then the Deputy Director of the Swan river project, is now the mentor and chief executive officer of the federation. He says that as most of the men remain away for work or business, it is women who stay back at their homes for agricultural and livestock rearing activities, besides attending to children and old parents. As a novel idea, the project officers decided to involve local women and thus the idea of forming self-help groups (SHGs) came up.
Dogra says that when the project period was about to end, 423 SHGs had already been constituted but their members had little exposure to sustain continuity. It was therefore decided to federate all SHGs under an umbrella organisation. In about seven months, the federation came into existence as a legal entity.
Turmeric as signature crop
The Swan river project ended in March 2015 and since then the federation, powered by women, has not only continued but also expanded its size and scope and activities. It introduced turmeric, which wild animals do not destroy, as a signature crop for its women farmers, who began its cultivation on small patches. The crop yield increased but marketing issues cropped up.
Dogra says that they set up their own spices processing unit on a patch of panchayat land at Badheda village. Pure spices produced by local women farmers are processed in the duly licensed and automated plant and are packed in the best food grade material. During the last three years, spices worth about Rs 70 lakh have been sold, giving direct employment to about 10 women and livelihood opportunities to about 1,000 members of SHGs, he adds.
Cooperative society formed
Three years ago, the federation added another feather to its cap when it decided to extend small savings and credit facilities to its members, right at their homes. The Swan Women Multipurpose Cooperative Society was constituted and all SHGs were linked with it.
Raj Kumari, president of the cooperative society, says that the society has assets worth more than Rs 8 crore and 18 women, designated as executive officers, group coordinators or motivators, attend the meetings of the SHGs and provide them small loans to set up their own ventures or render them financial assistance.
Sunita Sharma, secretary of the cooperative, says that loans of about Rs 3 crore have been extended to SHG members for the purchase of milch cattle, agricultural inputs, setting up a tailoring unit, as capital for husband’s shop, for the treatment of family members or for payment of tuition fee for daughter’s education and so on.
Meagre interest charged
While generally the SHGs charge 2 per cent monthly interest on loans (24 per cent annually), our federation charges the annual interest at rates even less than those charged by banks, she adds. As an SHG acts as a guarantor for the loan, no additional guarantee, processing fee or charges are levied. Since no documentation except a resolution by the SHG is required, loaning is quick and easy.
Health camps for members
Federation president Anuranjana Sharma and secretary Raman Devi say that they organise health check-up camps for their members and also distribute kitchen garden seed kits among them twice a year. Daily use and farm requirements such as tarpaulins, bed sheets, blankets, fodder seeds and other such items are purchased in bulk and given to women, thus cutting down on cost and ensuring good quality, adds Anuranjana.
She says that an annual scholarship of Rs 2,500 is given to the most deserving girl child in every panchayat for pursuing education.
HP Kisan Vikas Federation
Going by the success of the federation in ensuring continuity of the objectives for which the river project was implemented, JICA officials keep visiting it for advice and also learn from the experiences of its members. Last year, the federation was entrusted the responsibility to federate 14,000-odd farmer beneficiaries of the JICA-funded HP Crop Diversification Promotion Project being implemented in five districts of the state. The federation undertook the assignment and successfully facilitated the formation of the HP Kisan Vikas Federation in four tiers, starting from remote village sites to the apex level, recollects Subhadra Devi.
Small loans provided to SHGs
"The federation constituted the Swan Women Multipurpose Cooperative Society three years ago and all SHGs were linked with it. The society has assets worth more than Rs 8 crore and 18 women, designated as executive officers, group coordinators or motivators, attend the meetings of the SHGs and provide them small loans to set up their own ventures or render them financial assistance." — Raj Kumari, president of Swan Women Multipurpose Cooperative Society
Set up spices processing unit
"We set up our own spices processing unit on a patch of panchayat land at Badheda village in Una district. Pure spices produced by local women farmers are processed in the duly licensed and automated plant and are packed in the best food grade material. During the last three years, spices worth about Rs 70 lakh have been sold, giving direct employment to about 10 women and livelihood opportunities to about 1,000 members of SHGs." — RK Dogra, CEO of Swan Women Federation
Want to set up Himachal’s first women’s bank
"Our next aim is to register our presence in 90 panchayats of Una district, achieve a 10,000-plus membership and increase the assets of our society to Rs 15 crore. We also want to set up the first women’s bank of the state." — Subhadra Devi, chairperson of Swan Women Federation
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