In the vast factory floor at Acharpura in Bhopal, more than 450 women are learning to measure out and stitch garments destined for export to other countries. Each and every one of them has crossed the threshold from their house to the workplace for the first time. The whirring and clicking of the sewing machines drown out all other noise. But the women are focused on the job at hand.
“I kissed my daughter’s forehead and thanked god for giving me this opportunity. It feels that things will now get better in my life,” says 27-year-old Seema while flattening a strip of cloth and rolling the sewing machine into action. She joined the workforce just two months ago, in December 2022, and is still part of the factory’s trainee programme.
