Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during her recent district tour, inaugurated a panchi manufacturing plant that will produce dresses for the tribals. This is the first unit dedicated for the production of garments meant for the tribal people.
The said community has expressed happiness and gratitude to the Chief Minister. The panchi factory has come up at Mohammad Bazar in Birbhum. District Magistrate of Birbhum, Bidhan Roy said that they were happy to have the only factory for tribal garments in the state. Training has been given for the past few months among those who will be working at the unit. These people also attended the Chief Minister’s meeting. The initiative has been welcomed by the tribal organisations.
Tribal people in the region wanted the production to be done here in the state. The tribals of the district had to buy this panchi from Dumka in Jharkhand, Banka district in Bihar or Mayurbhanj in Odisha.
The cost of fetching one from outside state costs Rs 1,500. As a result, many people were losing interest due to the increase in the price of their clothes. Adivasi youths were getting used to wearing modern pants. Therefore, keeping in mind about 12 percent of the
tribal population in the district, the Birbhum administration planned to produce a garment plant in Mohammad Bazar.
Panchi weaving machines were installed at a cost of about Rs 40 lakh with the funds from their social development project. It was the initiative of the Zilla Parishad. Three trainers from Banka district and a designer from Kolkata have been giving training to the locals for the past one month. Vorai, a social tribal organisation, has been entrusted with the management of the entire production facility.
Six machines installed in the factory can produce an average of 85 panchis per day. The district administration will be marketing this at a stall called Jai Johar Museum in Bolpur. The CM has also inaugurated the museum.