The Indian Army in collaboration with a non-governmental orgzation (NGO) has inaugurated a bakery to provide employment to women in Kalakote village in Rajouri district.
The bakery was inaugurated on Wednesday in collaboration with the NGO Aseem Foundation.
The 63 Rashtriya Rifles came up with the project to help create employment for women of the under-developed and remote area and help them become self-reliant and improve their standard of life.
The women were trained for 21 days starting from February 8 to February 28 and during this period they were provided with practical knowledge about the bakery operation and baking techniques of several items like cakes and cookies.
"We were provided training for 21 days, in which we learned to bake cakes and cookies of several types. We really thank the NGO and Indian Army for helping and guiding us during the process," said Saroj Bala, a baker.
Speaking to , Mehak Khurshid, a teacher at Aseem Foundation said, "It is a great experience in teaching other women such tasks through which they can stand up on their feet and be financially independent. We really thank Indian Army for supporting us through the way."
"During the training period, we taught them to bake a banana cake, walnut cake, dry cake, bread, a famous Maharashtra's sweet named "Naan Khathai", and coconut cookies," Khurshid added.
Expressing gratitude towards the Indian Army, another baker, Khalida Parveen said, "It is a great opportunity provided by the Indian Army. They stood behind us like a backbone and we will be always thankful for the effort they have put in for us."
The initiative is a small part of the overall effort of the Indian Army towards women empowerment in order to enable them to seek better job opportunities and to make them capable of initiating their own ventures and become self-reliable.
The Municipal Committee Chairman and the general public of the village conveyed their gratitude for this enterprising initiative for the positive engagement of the unemployed women to pursue a line of a profession with better opportunities.
( With inputs from ANI )
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