YouOver 450 women have been learning how to make garments and measure them in the factory at Acharpura near Bhopal. They have all crossed the threshold of their first day at work from their homes. Every other sound is drowned out the clicks and whistling of sewing machines. However, the focus of the women is on their task at hand.
“I kissed my daughter’s forehead and thanked god for giving me this opportunity. It feels that things will now get better in my life,” says 27-year-old Seema while flattening a strip of cloth and rolling the sewing machine into action. She joined the workforce just two months ago, in December 2022, and is still part of the factory’s trainee programme.
In Madhya Pradesh’s industrial village of Acharpura, thousands of women from nearby shanties and villages have discovered financial freedom by working in the state’s nascent but growing garment manufacturing industry. Most have taken up jobs at a new factory run by Bengaluru-based Gokaldas Exports Limited, where Seema works.
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Gokaldas visited Acharpura in the year 2005
Gokaldas is one of India’s largest garment manufacturers and exports to over 50 countries. Shivraj Singh Chouhan was the chief minister at Acharpura’s launch of its new factory. promised It would create 5,000 jobs directly and 10,000 indirectly.
Seema, who hails from the nearby Karadi village, earns a minimum wage of around Rs 12,000 a month. It’s more than what she earned as a labourer at a construction site—a job she was forced to take up after her husband’s untimely death due to an illness.
After the Madhya Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (Madhya Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation) leased it out to Gokaldas 2021, the factory was up and running in record time.
Once Seema and the other women complete their three-month training programme, operations will begin in full swing.
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Learn, earn, grow
At this factory, women are taught how to sew, stitch, iron and wash clothes. There’s a steady hum of activity on the floor: Rolls of fabric are opened and straightened on long tables as giant washing machines rumble in the background. In another corner, a group of women run their fingers along hemlines, looking for loose threads and defects in the clothes.
When necessary, a female supervisor assists trainees.
The textile sector, which accounts for more than two per cent of India’s GDP, is also the second largest provider of employment after agriculture—particularly for women, who constitute 60-80 per cent of its workforce as of 2021. Acharpura has a factory floor that is 90% women.
“These women are from Acharpura and nearby villages. They are unskilled; most are using a sewing machine for the first time. Before the company starts its operations, it is teaching them how to work,” says floor supervisor Himanshi Sharma, who has been in the garment business for four years and hails from Indore.
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The beacon of light for women
It may not be 25-year-old Khushnuma Ali’s dream job, but it pays the bills and helps her contribute to household expenses. Despite having a Master’s degree in social work, she could not find a job. After several rejections she was disappointed to return home in November, her friend informed her of a new garment factory in the area.
The next day, she showed up and met Indore’s manager. “I told [Sharma] that I was desperately looking for a job, and that I was ready to produce garments despite my different work experience,” she recalls. Ali was hired quickly, and she joined the factory on 25 December. “I am learning the art of sewing, and I feel confident now,” she said.
The local economy is getting a lift from the garment factory. On the route to the factory, there are new dhabas and small hotels. Tea stalls can also be found along the street. It is a buoyant mood.
“Even the guards and pantry staff are local residents. The second phase will be launched soon. [cutting fabric], which will create at least 2,000 direct jobs,” said the north region’s commercial head, Gopal Nandan.
Asha (45 years old) is a class above the rest of her fellow trainees on the factory floor. She wears a Bengali saree with a large Bindi and is wearing a Bengali blouse. Sewing was her passion as a young lady, but she had to give priority to family and children. Her love for sewing faded over time but returned as soon as she heard about the garment factory.
“All I knew was sewing. My skill now allows me to earn my living. My contribution will be my life. Financial independence is an important step toward equality for women.”
Edited by Zoya Batti