Training for women and transgenders to make cotton bags: BeMC

Berhampur: Ahead of the proposed ban on plastic bags in parts of Odisha from October 2, the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) has started imparting training to women self help groups and a transgender batch on making cotton bags.

About 100 women are taking training on making cotton bags which will be required after imposition of ban on use of plastics, BeMC Commissioner Chakravarti Singh Rathore said Friday.

The training is being provided under the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) programme.

The state government has announced to ban the use, stock and manufacture of plastic or polythene bags from October 2 in five municipality corporations, including Berhampur and Puri municipal area in the first phase.

"As an alternative to plastic bags, people and shop owner can use the cotton bags," he said.

"The basic training on cotton bag making is being given a person for three to five days," nodal officer of NULM, Geetanjali Samantaray said.

Samantray said the members of SHGs and the transgenders were very much interested in take training on the making of cotton bags and to supply them in market.

"Most of the members have swinging machines and there is no problem on their parts to make cotton bags in the houses and to earn some extra money," she said.