Govt launches 'SonChiraiya' brand for urban SHG products

Context: Recently, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched a brand and logo called `SonChiraiya’. It was launched to market the products of urban self-help groups (SHGs).

Need

• 'Over 5.7 lakh SHGs have been formed across various states/UTs with almost 60 lakh members. 
• Many of these SHGs are engaged in livelihood activities, producing goods such as handicrafts, textiles, toys, eatables and so on. 
• These were being sold primarily in local neighbourhood markets and often faced barriers in achieving visibility and wide market access
• It was one of the government's priorities to help women become ''financially empowered and live a dignified life".

About "SonChiraiya" and its Significance

• SonChiraiya is a brand and logo for the marketing of urban Self-Help Group (SHG) products. 
• This initiative is a significant step of increasing visibility and global access for the products made by urban SHG women. 
• Under the initiative, variety of professionally packaged and hand-crafted ethnic products will reach to the doorsteps of the customers worldwide.

Further, to overcome the challenges of visibility and market access, the MoHUA, have signed agreement with leading e-commerce portals like Amazon and Flipkart to empower the women.  

• This partnership has on-boarded more than 2000 products of some 5000 SHG members from 25 states and UTs, even during the covid-19 pandemic.

Other Initiatives in this direction

• ''Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), under the ministry, has focussed on equipping the urban poor women with adequate skills and opportunities,''.
• It mobilises women from urban poor households into SHGs and their federations to create a support system for these women.

Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access (PAiSA)

• It is a centralized IT platform which simplifies and streamlines the release of interest subvention under the DAY-NULM.
• It offers end to end online solution for processing, payment, monitoring and tracking of interest subvention claims from banks on a monthly basis.

Note: Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are informal associations of people who choose to come together to find ways to improve their living conditions.

• It can be defined as self governed, peer controlled information group of people with similar socio-economic background and having a desire to collectively perform common purpose.