As many as 300 rural women of Palashbari upazila in the district have become self-reliant through making shopping bags.

The women have become self-reliant with the patronization of Sadhina Rani, a successful entrepreneur of the upazila.

While talking to Sadhina Rani it is learnt that she received a training from Gaibandha Integrated Poverty Alleviation Project run by Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB) here and then she set up a factory of shopping bags at her house at Bhabanipur village of the upazila.

At first, she started the factory with a few number of women, in course of time, she was able to involve neighbouring poor women in her factory.

At present, as many as 300 women of different villages of the upazila are working in the factory and earning bread and butter in exchange of labor.

Basanti Rani, who is involved in income-generating activities, said that earlier their families were living in poverty, but now they are very supportive as she is helping the family financially.

Sadhina Begum said she was very happy and satisfied as the shopping bags produced in her factory are being sold at local haats and bazaars regularly.

Seeing their success, more women of the villages expressed their desire to work at the factory of Sadhina Rani, but she cannot give them work due to space limitation in the factory.

In this context, she sought whole hearted cooperation of the project officials to expand her business.

UNO Md Kamruzzaman said the efforts to make more entrepreneurs like Sadhina Rani were being given at the initiative of the project in the upazila.

Project director Abdus Sabur said the project was launched in all seven upazilas of the district in 2018 targeting to bring 18,600 beneficiaries under the project.

Such type of income generating works is also being done in other six upazilas of the district at the arrangement of the project, he added.