European Union’s 1-million-Euro ‘Nirmanshree’ Project To Skill Women in Housing Sector

In a major push towards women empowerment, the European Union has launched ‘Nirmanshree,’ a project worth one-million euro to skill women in the housing sector. The project will be implemented in four districts of Odisha and Maharashtra and will benefit 3000 women.

As a part of the project Nirmanshree, the women will be trained in different work in the housing sector like masonry, plumbing and electrical fitting, among others.

In Odisha, the project will be implemented in Dhenkanal and Jajpur districts and Beed and Osmanabad districts in Maharashtra.

The project will identify and skill 3000 women, which in turn, is expected to benefit around two lakh families over the next three years.

“This is the first-of-its-kind sustainable housing on a large scale in India under which we train women to build sustainable houses,” Raimund Magis, the chargé d”affaires at the European Union in India, was quoted saying a news agency.

“We aim at empowering women by enhancing their technical and entrepreneurial skills, creating women-led enterprises, promoting climate-adaptable and green housing support services at community level.”

Raimund Magis

This initiative ‘Nirmanshree’ is said to be the single-largest scheme for women launched by the European Union. The European Union has already invested millions of euros in projects related to environment and sustainable development.

“Women’’s issues are important for us and so are environmental issues, therefore, this project. The Union is investing close to 1 million euros in the first phase and will increase the spending depending on the success of this project.

Habitat for Humanity India Managing Director Rajan Samuel, who is co-partnering the EU said that this project would create economic opportunities for marginalised women. While the European Union will bear 90 per cent of the cost of the project, Habitat for Humanity India will bear 10 per cent of the total cost.