About 80 women in coastal villages near Hazira in Surat have become self-sufficient with the primary skills of bakery and garment manufacturing under the skill development programme called ‘Anthaprerna’. The skill development mission, the brainchild of 16-year-old Yudhishthir Ruia, a young turk of the multi-billion dollar Essar Group, has been started for the women in the coastal villages near Hazira with the aim to make them economically independent.

During his frequent visits to Hazira in 2016, Yudhisthir met women in rural areas and found out that they were mostly confined to traditional roles like cooking, raising children and doing house chores. “I saw immense potential in these women to go beyond these socially prescribed roles and achieve something bigger. All they required was motivation and exposure. For the village economy to be vibrant and inclusive, women must play an important role in its economic activities” said Yudhisthir.

Anthaprerna has equipped the women from the villages and towns near Hazira in two primary skills—bakery and garment manufacturing. The skills were identified after thorough research into consumption patterns in the localities around Hazira and the market viability of bakery products and tailored garments. For the 39 women who signed up for the bakery training, the focus was on freshness, quality and hygiene. And for the 40 women who were trained in garment manufacturing, the emphasis was on augmenting a skill that had been traditionally handed down to them.

Along with nurturing the vocational skill, the women were also imparted lessons in business management, customer service and basic accounting.