The first of its kind Women Technology Park (WTP) set up by the S.R. Engineering College with the help of government agencies is proving to be a boon for the rural poor.
Women are being identified and brought to the park to expose them to latest technology and entrepreneurial ideas. From construction technology, making of brass items, preparing yarn from banana fibre and much more are being taught to the women here.
Project Coordinator K. Kiran Reddy said that they had trained ten women on extraction of banana fibre to make yarn also called ‘musa yarn’. “Enthused with the training, they all want to buy the machine and produce it by themselves. However, we want them to use our machines for now until they get to know about buying raw material, marketing their produce among others,” he said.
The WTP is sponsored by Science for Equity, Empowerment and Development (SEED) Division under Department of Science and Technology (DST). It is now engaged in demonstration and dissemination of rural technologies related to weaving, metal art ware, banana fibre extraction, construction and habitat services, agro and forest-based processing technologies.
According to Mr. Kiran Reddy, they had conducted workshops and demonstrations at villages in Atmakur, Parkal, Shayampet, Pembarthi, Parvatagiri, Geesukonda and Mogullapalli mandals mobilising 50 to 100 women who were interested.
Speaking to The Hindu , principal investigator and college principal V. Mahesh said that the objective of the Women Technology Park was to empower women in the region and make them financially self sustainable with holistic and integrated development of rural technologies.
Mr. Kiran Reddy said that they had identified best artisans in the country and were bringing them to the park to train the women.
Beneficiaries – T. Kanthamma, R. Sobha and others said that they could now perform every aspect of weaving. They were trained by one Ch. Satyanarayana who came from Bhiwandi for the purpose.
