Ranchi: The Simdega administration launched a five-day mushroom production training programme on Tuesday for around 50 children living at the juvenile observation home. The initiative aims to equip them with livelihood skills and open avenues for employment and self-employment.The programme is being organised in collaboration with the rural development department and Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS). Women associated with local sakhi mandals are providing theoretical and practical training in mushroom cultivation.Participants will learn production techniques, crop care, packaging, market dynamics, sales, business operations and the logistics of taking finished products to market. They will also receive guidance on bank loans, financial assistance and the documentation required to start a business.Simdega deputy commissioner Kanchan Singh urged the children to view the programme as an opportunity to build a better future rather than merely a five-day activity. “Regardless of past circumstances, there is always an opportunity to steer one’s future in a new direction,” Singh said.She said the administration wanted children leaving the observation home to possess practical skills that could help them secure employment or become self-employed and integrate into mainstream society.Describing mushroom cultivation as a viable livelihood option requiring relatively low initial investment, Singh said participants interested in entrepreneurship would be given information about loans and financial assistance available through banks.“Do not leave here merely with training; leave with a skill that empowers you to stand on your own feet in the future,” she said.The sakhi mandal members conducting the sessions were earlier trained by the Rural Self-Employment Training Institute (RSETI).RSETI faculty member Nitish Aniruddh Lakra said understanding the market was as important as production. “Participants would be taught sales and business management and guided through the bank loan application process, including the preparation of necessary documents,” he added.
