By Bishnu Prasad Pokharel
Damak, Mar. 20: The Damak Municipality of Jhapa has intensified handicraft training programme for women of the city to make them self-reliant.
The municipal office has been conducting the training under its 'Women of Damak City, First in Entrepreneurship’ programme.
Within a month, the municipality has engaged 50 women in production by organising two such trainings.

The municipality provided seven-day training to make straw slippers, which is used by those observing mourning rites and to make bags from discarded plastic bags and rice sacks.
The municipality office has aimed at making women of the municipality self-reliant through hand-held training.
Ishwara Khanal of Damak Municipality-7 is currently busy learning the skill of making straw slippers and sacks.

She had learned to make attractive bags using discarded sacks and thick plastic.
“This work can be done even after completing all the household chores and after completing some business work,” said Khanal.
These reusable and durable bags could be mass-produced, if it gets to market, she added.

Deputy-mayor of Damak Municipality Gita Adhikari claimed that this kind of training is unique and this is the reason why many women of the city are attracted to it.
“The demand for straw slippers is also high in the market. As straw is easily available in Jhapa, there is no problem in its production,”
“A woman can make three to five pairs of slippers daily even after completing all their household chores,” said Nisha Bhandari of Damak-3.

Each pair of the straw slippers cost Rs.150-200 in the market, she added.
Bhandari said to make straw slippers, first they need to clean straws by trimming them, make rope out of it and prepare slippers.
Yagya Prasad Acharya, chairman of Divya Drishti Veneration and Agro, which produces puja items in Jhapa, said straw slippers have a good market. “If the locals start producing the items, then we will be free of burden of transporting them from Kathmandu and Bhaktapur.”

He also assured that he was ready to buy the straw slippers produced by local women. "We will take care of the market no matter how much they produce.”