- Home
- Programs
- International CyberFair
- Participants
- Display Project Details
Singhania Public School (2018 CyberFair Project ID 8386)
India,
Fort Songadh
Official Status:
Final Project: Ready for Judging
Teacher:
Category: 4. Local Specialties
We estimate 60 student(s) from 12 to 14 will work on this entry.
Description of Our Community: Founded in 1959 in Bombay Presidency(now Mumbai), Lijjat is an organization that is woman-centric and has infused Gandhian simplicity in all its activities. It opened its first branch in Gujarat in Valod in the year 1968 and have since been a house-hold name synonymous to women-empowerment through employment. The papad-makers of Valod are a unique community who have been associated with Lijjat Papad’s Valod Unit (The largest in South Gujarat) and form the mainstay-workforce to whom Brand Lijjat may well owe its success. Around 1200 women engage in the laborious and skilled process of rolling thin and perfectly circular papads. Today, Lijjat is more than just a household name for 'papad' (India's most popular crispy appetizer/accompaniment). Started with a modest loan of Rs 80, the cooperative now has annual sales exceeding Rs 3.1 billion. Thanks to its growth and popularity Lijjat Papad started exporting its papads to countries like United States, United Kingdom, Holland, Singapore, Hong Kong and countries in the Middle East. “Lijjat Papad is a sterling example of women entrepreneurship” (quoted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in one of his International Summits)
Project Description: The entire cycle starts with a simple recruitment process: Every morning a group of women goes to the Lijjat branch to knead dough with the use of machines and pre-mixed flour & added spices which is then collected by other women who roll it into papads. When these women come in to collect the dough, they also give in the previous day's finished goods. Another team packs the tested papads. Every member gets her share of rolling charges ( roughly around 1 euro for one kilogram of rolled and dried papads). On an average, one woman-member collects around 5-7 kg of ready-to-roll dough, each day. ; efforts of 1200 members yield approximately 5000 kg of ready-to-sell papads, each day ! Those involved in the rolling of the papads also need to have a clean house and space to dry the papads they roll. The pace at which the work can be completed is flexible. Women may involve other family members to assist them. Though a majority of the workforce (around 500 families) have largely benefitted monetarily, there are many who engage in this activity as a hobby.