Humana People to People India’s, Project Sashakt, supported by the European Union organised a series of Financial and Skill Melas across Dhubri, Kamrup and Chirang districts of Assam, engaging more than 2,400 cooperative members and women weavers.

The melas served as convergence platforms, bringing grassroots communities together with banks, government departments, skill-development agencies and institutional stakeholders. The initiative aimed to strengthen financial inclusion, social security coverage, access to credit, skill development and livelihood opportunities, while building institutional linkages that can support women’s economic empowerment over the long term.

In Dhubri, 514 cooperative members participated in the Financial Mela, with 18 e-KYC registrations, 10 Atal Pension Yojana enrolments, 48 PMJJBY and 67 PMSBY enrolments, along with five business loan applications. The Skill Mela saw 467 participants, with 127 members registering for skill training through RSETI Dhubri. Counselling also focused on skill gaps, product quality and market readiness.

In Kamrup, more than 800 women weavers participated across Baramboi, Dharapur and Ramdia. Financial awareness sessions and counselling connected participants with institutions including Assam Gramin Bank, Punjab National Bank, KVIC, Tata Trust and Gramin Sahara. Discussions focused on financial literacy, credit facilities, skill development and opportunities to improve weaving skills and productivity.

In Chirang, 571 women weavers participated across two locations. The mela facilitated identification of a ₹3 lakh credit linkage through ASRLM, while eight participants applied for MUDRA loans totalling ₹2.40 lakh. Skill-development opportunities included tailoring training through RSETI, with 50 women expressing interest in C-DAC training, encouraging livelihood diversification beyond weaving.

Across the three districts, the melas generated more than ₹5.4 lakh in identified credit linkages and strengthened awareness of government schemes, financial services, entrepreneurship opportunities and vocational training. Banks, NABARD, ASRLM, Handloom and Textiles departments, RSETI, C-DAC and other development partners contributed to building these linkages.

The next phase will focus on tracking loan and scheme applications, implementing identified skill-training batches, strengthening cooperative linkages, and supporting product quality, branding and market development.

Through Project Sashakt, HPPI continues to work alongside women weavers and their cooperatives to strengthen capacities, expand economic opportunities and build pathways towards greater financial resilience, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.