Tantuja set to achieve target of supplying 1.5 crore masks to school goers

Kolkata: Tantuja is all set to achieve its target of supplying 1.5 crore masks for school children to the Education department by October 5. The latter will be distributing the masks along with the mid-day meal completely free of cost to the parents of the children this month.

"We have started the production of mask for school children from the month of July and the target was to dispatch 1.5 crore masks to the respective District Inspector (DI)of Schools by October 5. The manufacturing is over and till the end of September we have send 1 crore masks," said Rabindranath Roy, Managing Director of Tantuja.

The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) department has been monitoring the entire process from manufacture right upto distribution. Two companies have been earmarked for third party inspection to ensure quality control of the stuff.

50 percent of the Self Help Groups in the state and a garment manufacturing company at Metiabruz that was selected through e tender were involved in the manufacturing. The masks that have been produced are of three different colours and four different sizes with Joy Bangla printed on them.

"Masks were distributed among students in the month of September and the rest will be distributed this month. We will be completing the distribution process by the middle of this month, " said a headmaster of a school based in Purulia.

Tantuja has already supplied over 10 lakh masks for the government officials across the state.

Masks not only ensure safety but at the same time created job opportunities when the economy had nosedived amidst the COVID pandemic and many lost their jobs in the nationwide lockdown. In the first three months of the financial year 2020-21, the state government had created 11.53 crore mandays.