Amudha Murugan, a fisherwoman from Chinnandikuppam, will be learning a new skill — making solar lanterns.
“It is something new, but I thought, why not. It is only another skill that I hope to pick up. My husband has also said he will support me,” said the mother of two, who has studied till class X.
Twenty women from various villages in Kancheepuram district are participating in a training programme on making solar lanterns.
The training has been organised by the Tamil Nadu State Apex Fisheries Cooperative Federation (TAFCOFED) Limited, in association with the National Fisheries Development Board.
Beela Rajesh, fisheries commissioner, who inaugurated the training programme, said 260 women from the 13 coastal districts in the State would be taught to make solar lanterns as well as repair them.
“It will provide the women additional livelihood. TAFCOFED and Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation’s bunks will sell the lanterns manufactured by the women,” she said.
Most of the women at the training programme have some basic education. Their names were proposed by the cooperative societies in the respective fishing hamlets.
M. Xavier Manoharan, TAFCOFED chairman, Jude Armstrong, joint director (regional), fisheries department, G. Arumugam, managing director, TAFCOFED, and S. Selvaraj, project officer, TAFCOFED, spoke on the occasion. R. Sathishkumar, head (projects), Jagathjothi Solar Energy Private Ltd, said that a year back, the company had provided similar training to other fisherwomen and they are doing well.
