Dantewada, a beautiful district in southern Bastar region of the Chattisgarh state - flanked by mountain ranges and thick saal and teak forests, and numerous rivers - until recently, used to be known for being the worst-hit by Left extremism violence in the Bastar region. However, this remote Aspirational District is now a hub of garment manufacturing for several leading brands in the country.

Dannex – Dantewada Next -- Nava Dantewada Garment Factory, a state-of-the-art garment manufacturing factory that was inaugurated on January 31, 2021, at Haaram, close to the Dantewada district headquarters, brought new livelihood opportunities for the people of this impoverished and strife-torn region, especially the women.

Similar units were also set up in three other areas - Karli, Barsur, and Katekalyan. The four units together employ 750 women comprising 90 per cent of the work force. Men are employed only for heavy work. Women are selected based on their family income levels. Those who need the job most are given preference. The eligibility criteria include being 18 years of age, having an Aadhar identification card and a bank account. They are given inhouse training for 45 days before being admitted on the factory floor. The average salary ranges between Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 per month.

All units hire women within 4 to 5 kms of their homes so that they do not have to travel long distances to work. The management also provides free transport facility for the staff.

So far, Rs 3.5 crore have been disbursed by way of salaries and these units have produced 1,100,000 garment pieces. The turnover in the very first year was a whopping Rs 66 crore.

“Many women are now running their family expenses,’’ says Kajol, the manager of the factory at Haaram. Many of the women, she says, have used their earnings to better their lifestyle, be it buying a two-wheeler for the family, or a mixer-grinder and cooking gas cylinders for their kitchens. “I have seen first hand how these units have changed the lives of women in the district,” she says.

“This job has come as a great help for me and my family,” says Kusum Nag, a finishing supervisor, who has been working here since 2021 and earns 8,000 INR per month. “I am the sole earning member but going too far away from home to earn was not an option for me.”

“I knew nothing about being a salaried working woman before I joined this place,” says Dilli Markad, packaging supervisor. “Now I can express myself, talk to others, and am open to learning."

The women are trained in cutting, stitching, ironing, finishing and then packing of the finished products. Dannex has tied up with well-known online brands who send the designs, colour schemes and raw material. The outfits are made as per the requirement of the designer.

These stories of women-led development have been compiled by UN Women India. All copyrights to the stories and images are held by UN Women India Country Office dated December 2022.