Reinforcing its commitment to rural livelihood development and women’s empowerment, the CSIR-central Leather Research Institute (CSIR-CLRI) successfully organized a two-week hands-on training program on leather goods manufacturing at Kusunpur,Kendrapada District, Odisha. Under the CSIR-SMART Village initiative.

The training program benefited more than 26 women & Youth participants by providing comprehensive exposure to the complete leather product development process, including concept sketching, pattern making, cutting, stitching, and prototype development. The initiative aimed to equip participants with practical skills that can be translated into sustainable income-generating opportunities.

A key highlight of the program was the innovative use of diverse leather materials. Participants were trained to combine conventional leather with value-added fish leather & chicken-feet leather to design and manufacture a range of marketable products, including pencil pouches, sling bags ladies’ handbags, tote bag & coin pouches.

The hands-on training sessions were conducted by Mr. Ajeeth Kumar and Mr. Ankit Patel from CSIR-CLRI with enthusiastic participation from members of the women-led Self-Help Group of Kusunpur smart village.

The program was organized under the guidance of Dr.Palanisamy Thanikaivelan, Director CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CSIR-CLRI) Chennai. Technical support and mentoring were provided by CSIR-CLRI team, in addition, Nature's Club NGO, Kendrapara, played a crucial role in ensuring the uninterrupted and successful conduct of this training programme.

This capacity-building initiative is expected to strengthen the entrepreneurial capabilities of rural women & youth, enhance their income-generation opportunities, and promote sustainable livelihoods through value-added leather product manufacturing.

Under the CSIR- Smart Village initiative, reflecting CSIR-CLRI continued efforts to promote inclusive rural development through science, technology, and skill-based interventions.