To understand in a more comprehensive manner the challenges faced in implementation of

this sustainable development goal, we would look at some on ground initiatives taken and the
challenges faced by them.

PROJECT SHAKTI: AN HUL INITIATIVE

Project Shakti is an initiative taken by HUL to enhance its reach in rural areas, like small
villages with a population of less than 5000 people and increase the effectiveness of
communication in these media dark regions.(Indian Management, 2012) Rural women act as
direct to home distributors of some of the mass market products of the company which are
relevant to the rural markets. It is a win-win situation for both the business and the rural
households as it empowers rural women financially and provides them with a steady source
of income.
The women are not only provided with training in basic skills like accounting, selling
initiatives, but are also provided with relevant IT skills to operate the smartphones equipped
with basic ERP systems designed to aid them in their daily business activities.
The initiative recognizes that the ability of micro-credit to alleviate poverty depends upon the
availability of suitable investment opportunities. By making micro credit accessible to
women in rural areas, the Shakti project transformed them into entrepreneurs.
The project has been extremely successful, and has extended to shaktimaans to
complement the shaktiammas. Though the company has reached about 1,62,000 villages
across 15 states through 45000 shaktiammas in India, it has encountered various hurdles in
the implementation.(Indian Management, 2012)

CHALLENGES
The most imposing challenge faced by the company is the social status accorded to
women in villages in the country with defined gender roles, where women are
confined to taking care of the family and the men are the bread winners. They are

subjugated for most part of their lives and hence they are deterred from taking up jobs
by their own families.
Also, for most poor households, women work in fields to help their husbands or are
employed at construction sites where they have to do heavy manual labour.
Another major challenged faced by the company is motivating the women to
undertake these livelihood enhancing opportunities and to boost their confidence so
that they can become Shakti entrepreneurs and earning a decent living for their
families.

SIVAKASI VILLAGE: THE FIREWORKS

INDUSTRY
Sivakasi, a town in Tamil Nadu, is famous for firecrackers, match manufacturing and printing
industry and they form the pillars of its economy. A major problem plaguing this industry is
child labour. In 1981, according to sources, about 30% of the work force was child labour
between 416 years, and a staggering 90% of them were girls. Also, due to employment of
Scheduled castes at cheaper labour rates, 80% of the child labour in these factories belonged
to these marginalized section of the society. (Wikipedia, 2008)
Poverty and lack of agriculture related occupations contributed to the main causes of child
labour. Besides these, absence of labour unions also led to high proportion of workforce in
child labour. The children in these industries suffered from back ache, neck ache, tuberclosis,
malnutrition, gastointestinal disorders, dermatitis, respiratory disorders, over-exhaustion,
burn injuries and water borne diseases due to exposure to harmful chemicals in the work
environment (Wikipedia, 2008)
In 1996, the enforcement of Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986 was
ordered by the Supreme Court of India. This forbid the employment of child labour in these
factories and provision of compensation for the employed child, facilitating employment for
the adult members of his family etc.

CHALLENGES

 After the Supreme Courts order, a survey of industries accused of child labour
practices was conducted on a Pan India basis. In the survey in Virudhunagar,
identification of 1,126 erring factories was done. Subsequently cases were filed
against them each of them; 150 of the factories were later acquitted. However, none of
the factories was prosecuted.(Wikipedia, 2008)
These fireworks manufacturing factories have now developed mechanisms to work
their way around the law, by changing the working patterns. By hiring contractors for
processes such as paper pipe-making, child laborers are now instead hired by these
contractors to work for them or these contractors subcontract the work to households
that employ large number of child laborers. At each level of the processes, children
were employed.
Also, the child laborers were instructed to tell their age above 14 years of age as this
age was the bar imposed by the Act passed by the court. To add more credibility, fake
medical certificates were procured by their employers to show them as proofs of
age for the children employed in the factories.

CONCLUSION
By looking at the situation from both a macro and micro level, we do seem to conclude that a
large number of gaps need to be addressed during the implementation of the laws and policies
in order to achieve this goal. Though this goal seems attainable, it requires regular checks and
balances at regular intervals to take corrective actions and plug in the holes. Both the
government and corporate sector need to come together r and help in achieving this goal, and
it would have two fold benefits: both the business and the people would benefit greatly from
the achievement of this goal.

REFERENCES

Indian Management, Project Shakti: It is all about empowerment, February 2012

Enhancing lives through Project Shakti, www.hul.co.in, https://www.hul.co.in/sustainableliving/case-studies/enhancing-livelihoods-through-project-shakti.html
Anusha Subhramaniam, Bicycle Chief, June 12, 2011,
http://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/cover-story/shaktimaan-bhegde-hul-shaktiprogramme/story/15750.html
Ajita Sashidhar, Empowering women-and men, July 7 2013,
http://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/special/project-shakti-helped-thousands-of-womenand-also-men/story/195911.html
Samudranil, Child Labour in Sivakasi Fireworks Industry, February 7, 2015
http://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/india/child-labour-in-sivakasi-fireworks-industry
Indian National Magazine, Children Still at Work, May 12, 2000
http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1709/17090400.htm

Jayalakshmi K, India: The Child Labour Dampener on Diwali Fireworks, October 22, 2014
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/india-child-labour-dampener-diwali-fireworks-1471195