Case study: Success of Sudarban cluster Committee

Sundarban Cluster Committee is one of the clusters located in Gosaba Block. It was formed in the year 2011 with 158 members; consist of 14 Self Help Groups. The objective of the Cluster is to uplift the socio-economic condition of the SHGs members through income generation activities.

The Status of the SHGs before formation of the cluster
1. Most of the SHG members do not aware the latest addition or amendment of the Government Schemes for the most backward families. Therefore, they did not claim to have access the facilities.
2. There is lack of monitoring that the SHGs collecting saving, maintenance regular updates of accounts or others Documents and proper utilizing of the loan.
3. There is lake of leadership in problem analysis & conflict resolution of the weak SHGs.
4. Most of SHG could not develop the abilities of social responsibilities for the progress of the rural community.

The activities undertaken by the cluster
1. Motivated the SHG leaders to collect the Savings, maintenance the accounts & other Documents and monitoring the same regularly.
2. Encouraged the SHG member to involve in social work and social action to minimize the social evils as social responsibilities i.e. immunization of mother and child, enrolled every children to the school, stop to selling of country liquor to avoid domestic violence, protest and counseling to the Parents of girl child, not to arrange early marriage etc.
3. Organized monthly cluster meeting and invite the government officials to link the backward families for access the benefit.
4. Organized Skill training like Cooking & catering, Beautician for beauty parlor, Tailoring, agriculture and livestock for SHG member

Achievement or the cluster
1. Sundarban Cluster Committee makes progress of its member SHGs and counseling arise the problems.
2. The cluster established the link with District level ICDS department. The cluster manufactures the supplementary balance diet and supply to all ICDS centers under Canning Sub division.
3. The cluster also supplies Rice, lentils, Cooking oil to all ICDS centers under Canning Sub division.
4. The average annual turnover of this cluster is Rs. 600, 00,000.
5. The cluster have purchased 1.3 acre of land for the factory of Balance Diet and also cluster office
6. The cluster has provided Rs. 3000 to each individual member as dividend at the end of the year 2014
7. The cluster also has disabusing loan to all 14 SHGs member as inter loan.
8. Cluster members also presented the present scenario of the village in the Gram Sansad (Government Village Development Meeting) in village level and Gram shabha meetings in Panchayet level. Some of the proposed activities presented by the cluster women have been granted for implementation like Widow Pension, housing, old age pension etc.

The ongoing work of Sundarban cluster Committee at progress
1. Rice Mill: The cluster is supplying Rice to all ICDS centers and school mid-day meal under Canning Sub division. The cluster initiates to set up a rice mill to supply the huge demands of rice to ICDS and Schools. The construction of the rice mill is on progress and soon it will start the production of rice to meet the order from ICDS and Schools.
2. School Uniform: The cluster has also received order to supply School Uniform to all the schools under Canning Sub-division. Therefore, a tailoring unit is under process. 20 women have received tailoring training. Soon the school uniform production unit will be supplying the school uniforms.
3. Resort for Sundarban tourism: Sundarban is wild life sanctuary; the world largest mangrove forest declared as world heritage site. The cluster has proposed to the Tourism Dept. Govt. of West Bengal for the approval to start a resort programme with the facilities of vehicle and boat safari in Sundarban. The inspection team from the Tourism Dept has visited the site and the programme is on process.