State to engage Self-Help Groups for making masks

Kolkata: The state Self-Help Group and Self Employment (SHG& SE) department has engaged its SHG members in the production of masks which will be distributed mainly among people and state government officials involved in essential services who need to venture out of their houses even during the lockdown. The move by the department is expected to serve the dual objective of offering a protective gear against the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus and at the same time assure an income of the SHG's whose normal activities have literally stopped.

"Several departments of the state government have been contributing in their own possible manner in this crucial juncture. This is our way of contributing as we have found out that there is still a gap between demand and supply of masks in the state," a senior official of the SHG department said.

Doctors are constantly advising against putting hands on faces as the act increases the chances of spreading the virus. However, when a person is outdoors, instinctively he touches his face. "Our two-layered mask made of cotton is designed scientifically and is tied with multiple ropes and hence it is not easy to remove. People should wear them while going out and wash it in soap water after use. It can be used multiple times," the official said. All training sessions of the SHGs undertaken by the West Bengal Swarojgar Corporation Limited has come to a standstill in the current situation.

The department has roped in 12 such agencies that have some experience in similar work and have mobilised a group of 10 women in a number of districts.