Balrampur (Chhattisgarh) [India], January 22 : Broom-making is emerging as a source of livelihood for unemployed women of Paadi Korwa, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), in Balrampur district of Chhattisgarh, as the Forest Department has linked them with the task of producing the cleaning tool.
The Forest Department has formed a group of women from Pahadi Korwa, often referred to as adopted children of the President of India, and connected them with employment activities centred on broom-making.

"Instructions have been given by the CM for the economic empowerment of our tribal brothers and sisters in the remote areas of our tribal regions. Following the instructions of the CM, Jagima and Patrapada have been selected as two centres for undertaking activities resulting in empowerment of the tribal population," said DFO Balrampur Alok Kumar Bajpai.
Tribal women under the Shankar Mahila Self-Help Group are making brooms at Jagima, and the sale of these cleaning tools will be facilitated through platforms like C-Mart and others, the DFO added, noting that the initiative will help stabilise the tribal population economically.
"Moreover, we are planning to connect the tribal population with employment activity of manufacturing disposable plates and millet processing (in Jagima) in future. Similarly, we are planning to start a unit for making Mahua Oil in Patrapada," Bajpai said.
The DFO said that all these initiatives aim to improve the economic conditions of tribal communities in remote areas and ensure their financial security.
According to official sources, the tribal population is being linked with employment activities under the Prime Minister's Janman Yojana through the Forest Department's PVTG Van Dhan Vikas Kendra. Under this initiative, groups of rural women have been formed and provided with work in broom-making within their villages, creating employment opportunities and improving their economic condition.
In Jagima village, under the Shankargarh Forest Range of Balrampur district, a group of 10 Pahadi Korwa women has been formed. Earlier, these women were unemployed and faced severe economic challenges. Under the Prime Minister's Janman Yojana, they have now been engaged in broom-making through the Forest Department.
The women of the group said that earlier, they had no work and were limited to household chores. Some women also shared that they had to work as daily wage labourers to support their families, and a lack of employment was a major problem for them.