22 families associated with self-help groups in two villages Pingari and Hariharpur of Pratapgarh district are manufacturing footwear
PRAYAGRAJ: In the Pingari and Hariharpur villages of Pratapgarh district, footwear being indigenously manufactured by rural women are gaining popularity. As many as 22 rural women associated with six self help groups (SHGs) of Pingari village (Kunda block) and Hariharpur village (Bihar block) in neighbouring Pratapgarh district are designing footwear.
The local brand of footwear has become so popular that it has also been attracting customers from other districts like Prayagraj, Sultanpur, Amethi and Rai Bareilly.
Ratan Mishra, district mission manager (Pratapgarh), told TOI, “We have organised a weeklong maiden training camp of footwear-making for women in two villages. In the training camp, the women were taught the entire process of making footwear. The move was initiated under the UP State Rural Livelihood Mission (UPSRLM) last year, and was aimed at facilitating financial independence of rural self-help groups.” He added, “The project started yielding good results within three months when SHGs started receiving orders from the local markets of Pratapgarh and neighbouring districts for slippers.”