Aurangabad: To help women manufacturing household articles find buyers, Aurangabad city police has roped in the city-based Prozone Mall. These women have now been given space in the mall to display their products for three days.Over a dozen stalls were thrown open at the mall on Republic Day. The women, who had never thought that they would find such a fancy space to operate from, were happy with the response from buyers.Forty-year-old Pooja Andharikar, a resident of Hudco, had started making papad and other items for sale. However, she needed help finding takers for the produce. “We are so thankful for this – it is an opportunity to display and sell what we make and find new buyers,” she said.Under the community policing initiative, scores of like-minded women hailing from Roshan Gate, Shivaji Nagar, Motikaranja, Beed Bypass, Baba Petrol Pump, Asefia Colony and Harsul, who enrolled for the programme by police, have since gained training in manufacturing food items and other material that could go on sale.The stalls at the mall offered homemade papad, sevaiya, chivda, organic agarbatti, pure cow ghee, chikki, chips and handmade jute pillow covers, artificial jewellery, and Rajasthani purses.Aurangabad commissioner of police Chiranjeev Prasad said, “We are trying to train, supply raw material and even bridge the gap between manufacturers and consumers, and we are using all the resources at our command for this.”Considering the noble initiative by police, the mall’s centre head Mohammed Arshad waived the rent for the premises. “That would be our contribution to city police’s noble cause,” Arshad said.Jyoti Deshpande, 52, from Hudco, said, “This initiative is helping a lot of women gain financial independence.” Eighteen-year old Tehreem Khan from Motikaranja area lost her father recently. Her mother had died earlier and she had been struggling to support younger siblings. She enrolled in the city police initiative and learned to make chikki. She has made over 30 kg of high quality chikki and brought it for display and sale. Assistant inspector Ghansham Sonawne said, “We are taking care to see that products prepared by these women do not end up as dead stock. We are in touch with some markets that will purchase all the remaining product.”

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