Bhagalpur, Aug 21 (IANS) JEEViKA Didi’s Kitchen at the month-long Shravani Mela in Sultanganj, Bhagalpur, has emerged as a new source of income and employment for local women associated with the JEEViKA initiative.
The kitchen, which provides nutritious food to pilgrims visiting the mela, serves more than 1,000 devotees every day. More than 100 women, popularly known as JEEViKA Didis, have found employment through the initiative during the month-long religious event.
Saurabh Kumar, manager of JEEViKA Didi’s Kitchen at Namami Gange Ghat, said that the initiative has provided an opportunity to women who were previously unemployed. He said each woman is expected to earn between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 during the Shravani Mela.
According to estimates, the kitchen has the potential to generate an income of around Rs 30 lakh during the mela.
Speaking to IANS, Saurabh Kumar said, “More than 100 women are employed here through JEEViKA. They are all from the local areas of Sultanganj. Many of these women were previously not engaged in any work. When they heard about this opportunity through JEEViKA, they found employment.”
Ritu Devi, who manages a counter at JEEViKA Didi’s Kitchen, said the initiative has generated significant profits while also providing employment opportunities to women who were earlier unemployed.
Meanwhile, Baba Nagari remained immersed in devotion and faith. As the doors of the Baba Baidyanath Temple opened at 4:08 a.m., Deoghar echoed with chants of “Har Har Mahadev” and “Bol Bam”.
Throughout the day, as many as 2,26,747 devotees offered holy water to Baba Baidyanath and prayed for happiness and prosperity. Priest Gaurav Jha performed the daily Sardari Puja before the sanctum sanctorum was opened to devotees.
The Bihar government, through the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS), is implementing the World Bank-aided Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project, popularly known as JEEViKA, to promote the social and economic empowerment of the rural poor. The Livelihoods Restoration and Enhancement component of the Bihar Kosi Flood Recovery Project was also later brought under the JEEViKA initiative.
–IANS
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