Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad
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Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad (), popularly known as Lijjat, is an
Indian women The status of women in India has been subject to many changes over the span of recorded Indian history. Their position in society deteriorated early in India's ancient period, especially in the Indo-Aryan speaking regions, and their subordinat ...
's
worker cooperative A worker cooperative is a cooperative owned and Workers' self-management, self-managed by its workers. This control may mean a firm where every worker-owner participates in decision-making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one in which ...
involved in manufacturing of various
fast-moving consumer goods Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), also known as consumer packaged goods (CPG), are products that are sold quickly and at a relatively low cost. Examples include non-durable household goods such as packaged foods, beverages, toiletries, cand ...
. The organisation's main objective is empowering women by providing them employment opportunities. Started in 1959 by seven gujarati women in
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
with a seed capital of only
Rs. Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
80 (
Rs. Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
6,800 adjusting for inflation ) ( $80 in today's money), it had an annual turnover of more than Rs.1600
crore A crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes ten million (10,000,000 or 107 in scientific notation) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. It is written as 1,00,00,000 with the local 2,2,3 style of digit group separators (one lakh is e ...
(over $224 million) in 2019. It provides employment to 45,000 (in 2021) women across the country. Lijjat started out as a
cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote ...
in an urban area, but spread to the rural areas. It is considered one of the most remarkable entrepreneurial initiatives by women that is identified with female empowerment in India. Due to standardization in the
Papad A papad is an Indian deep fried dough of black gram bean flour, either fried or cooked with dry heat (flipped over an open flame) until crunchy. Other flours made from lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, millet or potato are also used. ''Papad' ...
, 4.8 Billion Papads made by 45,000 Lijjat sisters all over India with similar tastes.


History

Lijjat was started by seven
Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...
women from
Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
(now
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
). The women lived in Lohana Niwas, a group of five buildings in
Girgaum Girgaon, or Girgaum, is an area in southern Mumbai in Maharashtra, India. It is near the coast. A section of Marine Drive is located here. See also *Girgaum Chowpatti *Tanks of Bombay Although the tanks have long vanished, the city of Bom ...
. They wanted to start a venture to create a sustainable livelihood using the only skill they had i.e. cooking. The seven women were
Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat is an Indian businesswoman, who is one of the founders of Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad, a women's worker cooperative involved in manufacturing of various fast-moving consumer goods. On January 26, 2021, the Gove ...
, Parvatiben Ramdas Thodani, Ujamben Narandas Kundalia, Banuben. N. Tanna, Laguben Amritlal Gokani, Jayaben V. Vithalani, and Diwaliben Lukka. The women borrowed Rs 80 from
Chhaganlal Karamsi Parekh Chhaganlal Karamshi Parekh popularly known as Chhagan Bapa (27 June 1894 – 14 December 1968) was an Indian philanthropist and social worker who worked for education, the end of poverty, and social reform of women. Birth He was born in 1894 ...
, a member of the
Servants of India Society The Servants of India Society was formed in Pune, Maharashtra, on June 12, 1905 by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who left the Deccan Education Society to form this association. Along with him were a small group of educated Indians, as Natesh Appaji Dra ...
and a social worker. They took over a loss-making
papad A papad is an Indian deep fried dough of black gram bean flour, either fried or cooked with dry heat (flipped over an open flame) until crunchy. Other flours made from lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, millet or potato are also used. ''Papad' ...
making venture by one Laxmidas bhai, and bought the necessary ingredients and the basic infrastructure required to manufacture papads. On 15 March 1959, they gathered on the terrace of their building and started with the production of 4 packets of papads. They started selling the papads to a known merchant in
Bhuleshwar Bhuleshwar (Old spelling Bholeśvar) is a neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is situated in South Mumbai and to the north of the Fort area. It is known for being home to over 100 temples including Mumba Devi Temple of Mumbai, the patron goddess of the ...
. From the beginning, the women had decided that they would not approach anyone for donations or help, even if the organisation incurred losses. Chhaganlal Parekh, popularly known as Chaganbapa, became their guide. Initially, the women were making two different qualities of papads, to sell the inferior one at a cheaper rate. Chaganbapa advised them to make a standard papad and asked them never to compromise on quality. He emphasised to them the importance of running it as a business enterprise and maintaining proper accounts.Pathak, Ramnarayan Nagardas, ''Punyashlok Chhaganbapa'', translated into English by Prof.V.T.Yardi, Published by Shri Mahila Griha Udyag Lijjat Papad, Jan. 1980, p.114-117 Lijjat expanded as a
cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
system. Initially, even younger girls could join, but later eighteen was fixed as the minimum age of entry. Within three months there were about 25 women making papads. Soon the women bought some equipment for the business, like utensils, cupboards,
stove A stove or range is a device that burns fuel or uses electricity to generate heat inside or on top of the apparatus, to be used for general warming or cooking. It has evolved highly over time, with cast-iron and induction versions being develope ...
s, etc. In the first year, the organisation's annual sales were Rs. 6196. The broken papads were distributed among neighbours. During the first year, the women had to stop production for four months during the rainy season as the rains would prevent the drying of the papads. The next year, they solved the problem by buying a cot and a stove. The papads were kept on the cot and the stove below the cot so that the process of drying could take place in spite of the rains. The group got considerable publicity through
word of mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...
and articles in vernacular newspapers. This publicity helped it increase its membership. By the second year of its formation, 100 to 150 women had joined the group, and by the end of the third year it had more than 300 members. By this time, the terrace of seven founders could no longer accommodate the members and the ingredients, so the kneaded flour was distributed among the members who would take it to their homes and make papads. The papads were brought back for weighing and packaging. An attempt to start a branch in
Malad Malad (Pronunciation: aːlaːɖ is a suburb located in North Mumbai. Malad has a railway station on the Western line (Mumbai Suburban Railway) of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, lying between Kandivali station to the north and Goregaon station t ...
suburb of Mumbai, in 1961, was unsuccessful.Lijjat Patrika, Vol. 1,Issue 3, March 1979, p.6. In 1962, the name ''Lijjat'' (
Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...
for "tasty") was chosen by the group for its products. The name, suggested by Dhirajben Ruparel, was chosen in a contest held for the purpose, with prize money of Rs. 5. The organisation was named Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad. In many Indian languages, ''Mahila'' means women, ''Griha'' means home, ''Udyog'' means industry. By 1962–63, its annual sales of papads touched 182,000. In July 1966, Lijjat registered itself as a society under the Societies Registration Act 1860. In the same month, on Chaganbapa's recommendation, U N Dhebar, the chairman of KVIC personally inspected the Lijjat. KVIC or
Khadi Development and Village Industries Commission The Khadii and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body formed in April 1957 by the Government of India, under the Act of Parliament, 'Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956'. It is an apex organisation under the M ...
is a statutory body set up by the
Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
for development of rural industries. In September 1966, KVIC formally recognised Lijjat as a unit belonging to the "processing of cereals and pulses industry group" under the Khadi and Village Industries Act. It was also recognised as a "village industry". In 1966, KVIC granted it a working capital of Rs. 800,000 (0.8 million) and was allowed certain tax exemptions. An attempt to start a branch in
Sangli Sangli () is a city and the district headquarters of Sangli District in the state of Maharashtra, in western India. It is known as the Turmeric City of Maharashtra due to its production and trade of the spice. Sangli is situated on the banks ...
town, in 1966, was unsuccessful. The first branch outside Maharashtra was established at Valod,
Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
in 1968. After tasting tremendous success with their papads, Lijjat began producing other products like
khakhra Khakhra is a thin cracker common in the Gujarati cuisine of western India, It is made from mat bean, wheat flour and oil. It is served usually during breakfast. See also * Gujarat * Gujarati people * Indian cuisine * List of Indian breads Ind ...
(1974), masala (1976), vadi, wheat atta, and bakery products (1979). In the 1970s, Lijjat set up flour mills (1975), printing division (1977) and
polypropylene Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer propylene. Polypropylene belongs to the group of polyolefins and ...
packing division (1978). The group also initiated some unsuccessful ventures such as cottage leather (1979), matches (1979), and ''agarbatti''s (incense sticks). In July 1979, the general secretary of a trade union tried to interfere in Lijjat's affairs, making certain demands on behalf of a few member-sisters. L. C. Joshi, Labour Advocate of Bombay and a well-known industrial relations expert, was called for consultations. In his observations on "Who owns Lijjat?", he clarified that member-sisters were competent to take a decision for their own and it was not open for an outside agency to interfere with the internal working of Lijjat. In 1985, the Lijjat branch at
Jabalpur Jabalpur is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. According to the 2011 census, it is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the country's 38th-largest urban agglomeration. J ...
was taken over by one Shantilal Shah as his own unit, which he ran with the help of a ''Sanchalika'' (branch head), who was wife of his employee. Lijjat went through tremendous pressures and court stay orders to retrieve the situation. In 1987, Lijjat purchased new premises at Kamal Apartments in
Bandra Bandra (Indian English, æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre (Help:IPA/Marathi, aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate nor ...
, a suburb of Mumbai. The registered office shifted to the Bandra with effect from July 1988. In 1988, Lijjat entered the soap market with Sasa detergent and soap. Sasa had annual sales of Rs 500 million, accounting for 17 percent of Lijjat's total turnover in 1998. In March 1996, the 50th branch of Lijjat was inaugurated in Mumbai. In the 1980s, Lijjat also started taking part in several trade fairs and exhibitions, which improved its sales and made the brand name "Lijjat" well known among the people. The advertising was undertaken through the vernacular newspapers, television and radio. The institution sponsored programs and gave away gifts for the winners of specific shows in the television. The money for advertisements was spent by the Polypropylene Division, which recovered the same by adding it to the price of the bags that it supplied to all the branches and divisions throughout India. In the 1980s and 1990s, Lijjat started attracting attention of foreign visitors and officials. The Vice-President of Uganda, Dr. Speciosa Wandira-Kazibwe, visited Lijjat's central office in January 1996, since she wanted to start a similar institution in Uganda. Lijjat started exporting its products with the help of merchant importers in the United Kingdom, the United States, the Middle East, Singapore, the Netherlands Thailand, and other countries. Its annual exports accounted for more than US$2.4 million in 2001. As its popularity grew, Lijjat started facing the problem of fake Lijjat papads being introduced in the market. In June 2001, three persons were arrested in this connection, in
Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
. Lijjat's websit
explains
the identification features of original Lijjat papads. Lijjat received the "Best Village Industries Institution" award from KVIC for the period 1998–99 to 2000–01. In 2002, the "Businesswoman of the Year" award was given to "The Women Behind Lijjat Papad" at The
Economic Times Awards The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence (also referred as ET Awards) are the awards conferred by ''The Economic Times'' in the field of business, corporate and government policies, economies in India. It is an annual awards, conferred ...
for Corporate Excellence. At the awards ceremony, the President of Lijjat urged the State Governments of
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
and
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
to reconsider their decision of withdrawing the tax exemption on Lijjat's Sasa Detergent. In 2002, Lijjat had a turnover of Rs 3 billion and exports worth Rs. 100 million. It employed 42,000 people in 62 divisions all over the country.(2002) The 62nd branch became operational at Jammu and Kashmir in 2002, enrolling over 150 members. In 2003, Lijjat received the "Best Village Industry Institution". It also received the PHDCCI Brand Equity Award 2005. Lijjat marked its 50th year of existence on 15 March 2009.


Exports

Lijjat Papad Business is spread in 82 branches in 17 states of India. Lijjat Papad currently exports its products with the help of Merchant Exporters. They export their products to 25+ countries including
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Middle Eastern countries The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europe ...
,
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
,
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, Hongkong (China),
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and many other Countries.


Organization structure and management

Lijjat believes in the philosophy of ''
sarvodaya Sarvōdaya ( hi, सर्वोदय '' sarv-'' "all", '' uday'' "rising") is a Sanskrit term which generally means "universal uplift" or "progress of all". The term was used by Mahatma Gandhi as the title of his 1908 translation of John Ruskin ...
'' and collective ownership. It accepts all its working members as the owners and an equal partaker in both profit and loss. The members are co-owners and fondly referred to as "sisters". All the decisions are based on consensus and any member-sister has the right to veto a decision. Men can only be salaried employees (accountants, drivers or security guards), and not the members of the organisation (i.e. they are not the owners). The running of the organisation is entrusted to a managing committee of twenty-one members, including the President, the Vice-President, two secretaries, and two treasurers. ''Sanchalika''s are in-charge of various branches and divisions. The office bearers of the managing committee and the ''sanchalika''s are chosen from among the member-sisters on the basis of consensus every three years . Each branch has a committee of eleven member-sisters, again chosen by consensus. The central office at
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
previously coordinated the activities of various branches. But, as the organisation grew, the authority was decentralised in terms of work and sharing of profits at the branch level. However, the ''sanchalika''s still need the managing committee's approval before they undertake any new project or activity. All the branches follow the same set of instructions and have similar accounting system. To co-ordinate various branches in a region or state, there are branch co-ordination committees and area meetings of the various branches in a state. The annual general meeting is attended by member-sisters representing branches and divisions from all over India. Currently, Lijjat has branches in seventeen Indian states –
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
, Bihar,
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, Gujarat,
Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka,
Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, Orissa,
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
, Rajasthan,
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
, Uttar Pradesh, and
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
. Account books are easily accessible to all the member-sisters, ensuring transparency. Lijjat follows its own financial accountability principle. There is no credit method for running operations in the organisation. Every payment is done on a daily basis, except for the outside supply of raw material. Profits and losses are shared equally among the members of a given branch. In the initial days of Lijjat, the profits of the first six months were shared equally among all sisters in the form of gold. This sharing practice is still in effect, but now the decision whether to share the profits in gold or in
cash In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-imm ...
is made at the branch level. The cost of national-level advertising is borne by all branches and divisions, depending on their individual production abilities. The
quality Quality may refer to: Concepts *Quality (business), the ''non-inferiority'' or ''superiority'' of something *Quality (philosophy), an attribute or a property *Quality (physics), in response theory *Energy quality, used in various science discipli ...
of ''papad''s can vary due to quality of water used in various parts of India. To avoid any inconsistencies, the final products are tested in the Lijjat's laboratory in Mumbai. In the monthly meetings, the quality issue and modifications are tested. The central office purchases and distributes all ingredients to maintain the quality of the final product. For example, the
urad dal ''Vigna mungo'', also known as black gram, urad bean, urid bean, mash kalai, uzhunnu parippu, ulundu paruppu, minapa pappu, uddu, or black matpe, is a bean grown in South Asia. Like its relative, the mung bean, it has been reclassified from the ...
is imported from
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
,
asafetida Asafoetida (; also spelled asafetida) is the dried latex ( gum oleoresin) exuded from the rhizome or tap root of several species of '' Ferula'', perennial herbs growing tall. They are part of the celery family, Umbelliferae. Asafoetida is ...
is imported from
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, and
black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diame ...
comes from Kerala. The committee often makes surprise visits to various branches to assure that production conditions are hygienic. When a new branch of Lijjat opens, a neighbouring Lijjat branch helps it by guiding and training new members. On successive failures of a branch to abide by the organisation's philosophy of consistent quality and production of papads, the central committee reduces the daily wages of its members by 1 rupee. The member-sisters are also rewarded for extra effort. For instance, in 2002, the member-sisters at the
Rajkot Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population of ...
branch received Rs 4,000 each as bonus, while the member sisters at
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
and
Thane Thane (; also known as Thana, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city in Maharashtra, India. It is situated in the north-eastern portion of the Salsette Island. Thane city is entirely within Thane taluka, one of the seven talukas ...
branches received a 5-gram gold coin as an incentive. Several issues of Lijjat Patrika enumerate the names of the names/numbers of the member-sisters, who were rewarded with the cash or gold, for their extra efforts.


Products and divisions

Lijjat manufactures several products, of which the
papad A papad is an Indian deep fried dough of black gram bean flour, either fried or cooked with dry heat (flipped over an open flame) until crunchy. Other flours made from lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, millet or potato are also used. ''Papad' ...
is the most famous: *
Papad A papad is an Indian deep fried dough of black gram bean flour, either fried or cooked with dry heat (flipped over an open flame) until crunchy. Other flours made from lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, millet or potato are also used. ''Papad' ...
(Fourteen flavours, including lasan,
moong The mung bean (''Vigna radiata''), alternatively known as the green gram, maash ( fa, ماش٫ )٫ mūng (), monggo, or munggo (Philippines), is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract G ...
,
mirch ''Mirch'' () is a 2010 Indian comedy-drama film written and directed by Vinay Shukla. The film featured Konkona Sen Sharma and Raima Sen in pivotal roles. The film began filming in Bikaner, Rajasthan. According to Shukla, the subject of the fil ...
, Punjabi and
urad Urad may refer to: * Urad Mongols, a tribe in Inner Mongolia * Urad, a region in Bayannur, Inner Mongolia ** Urad Front Banner ** Urad Middle Banner ** Urad Rear Banner * Urad (bean) ''Vigna mungo'', also known as black gram, urad bean, urid be ...
) *
Khakhra Khakhra is a thin cracker common in the Gujarati cuisine of western India, It is made from mat bean, wheat flour and oil. It is served usually during breakfast. See also * Gujarat * Gujarati people * Indian cuisine * List of Indian breads Ind ...
*
Appalam A papad is an Indian deep fried dough of black gram bean flour, either fried or cooked with dry heat (flipped over an open flame) until crunchy. Other flours made from lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, millet or potato are also used. ''Papad ...
* Masala * Vadi * ''Gehu Atta'' (
Wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ''bread ...
) * Bakery products *
Chapati Chapati (alternatively spelled chapatti, chappati, chapathi, or chappathi; pronounced as IAST: ), also known as ''roti'', ''rotli'', ''safati'', ''shabaati'', ''phulka'', (in East Africa) ''chapo'', (in Marathi) ''poli'', and (in the Maldives) ...
Lijjat has several divisions and manufacturing units: * Flour Division (
Vashi Juhu Vashi (Pronunciation: aːʃiː is an upmarket residential and commercial node in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, across the Thane Creek of the Arabian Sea on the outskirts of city of Mumbai. The Juhu Vashi is named after the largest village ...
) * Masala Division and Quality Control Laboratory (
Cotton Green Cotton Green is a suburb of Mumbai, and a noted residential and commercial area east of Parel, in central Mumbai, 8 km north of Colaba. It is also the name of a railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway, which lies along the Harbour l ...
) * Printing Division (
Cotton Green Cotton Green is a suburb of Mumbai, and a noted residential and commercial area east of Parel, in central Mumbai, 8 km north of Colaba. It is also the name of a railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway, which lies along the Harbour l ...
) * Advertising Division,
Bandra Bandra (Indian English, æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre (Help:IPA/Marathi, aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate nor ...


Culture

''Lijjat Patrika'', the in-house magazine, is published and circulated for a nominal rate to those interested in the activities of Lijjat. It is published in many languages
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
, English,
Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...
,
Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...
. It has emerged as a strong mode of communication for information related to significant events and initiatives at Lijjat, in addition to presenting articles on women. Member sisters across all branches of Lijjat recite an all-religion prayer before beginning their daily activities. The sisters are free to choose their activities and each activity is given equal importance. Leaving the organisation is voluntary. No member sister can be asked to leave unless or until she goes against the organizational principles. There is no fixed retirement age at Lijjat. Once, when the president Jyoti Naik was questioned about this anomaly, she said that there was no need to make provision for a retirement age, as the emphasis obviously was on earning one's bread through daily work, all through one's life.


Role in women empowerment

The growth of the Lijjat is often seen in the larger canvas of women and their empowerment. The organisation has undertaken various efforts to promote literacy and computer education for member-sisters and their families. A literacy campaign for sisters began through literacy classes at Girgaum on 18 June 1999. Later, the managing committee decided to start such classes in all its branches. From 1980 onwards, Lijjat started giving Chhaganbapa Smruti Scholarships to the daughters of the member-sisters. The member-sisters used their organisation as a medium to promote their and their families' welfare. In the Valod centre, they set up an educational and hobby centre for the rural women. Orientation courses in typing, cooking, sewing, knitting and toy making as well as other courses like child welfare, first aid and hygiene were taught. The first ever pucca (tarred) road in Valod to be built and inaugurated in 1979 was with the help of the Lijjat, Valod branch. In 1979, Lijjat teamed up with
UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
to organise a seminar in Mumbai on "Child Care and Mother Welfare", as part of the International Year of the Child celebrations. In October 1984, Bhadraben Bhatt represented Lijjat at the UNESCO sponsored international workshop on "The role of women in the assimilation and spread of technological innovation" held at
NITIE Indian Institute of Management Mumbai (IIM Mumbai) previously recognized as the National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai (NITIE Mumbai), is a graduate business school under the Ministry of Education (India), Government of India lo ...
,
Powai Powai (Pronunciation: əʋəiː is an upscale residential neighbourhood located in central Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is situated on the banks of Powai Lake, and is bound by the hills of Vikhroli Parksite to the south-east, Chandivali t ...
. Alkaben Kalia represented Lijjat at the national level meeting on women convened by the National Commission on Self Employed Women. At the behest of
Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was bo ...
, the member-sisters also took part in some activities of Asha Dhan, an institution to care for destitute women. Lijjat member-sisters also tried to start a co-operative bank, but the effort was not very successful.


Contribution to social service

On several occasions, the Lijjat member-sisters have undertaken
social service Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...
activities such as distributing nutritious food for poor children, donating money for conducting community marriage, instituting prize-money for spread of primary education, undertaking blood donation drive, organising health camps, plantation drives and even making donations to Government bodies. In 1999, the Mumbai City felicitated Rukminiben B. Pawar, Lijjat President, as an outstanding woman in the field of social work. Lijjat undertook the rehabilitation of Chincholi (Jogan), the earthquake affected village in the
Latur Latur(लातूर) is a city in Indian state of Maharashtra, and is one of the largest cities of the Marathwada region. It is the administrative headquarters of Latur district and Latur Taluka. The city is a tourist hub surrounded by many ...
district of Maharashtra. The institution provided the finance and supervised the work of construction of fifty-eight houses for the people of the village. Member-sisters donated money from their daily ''vanai'' (wage). After the
2001 Gujarat earthquake The 2001 Gujarat earthquake, also known as the Bhuj earthquake, occurred on 26 January, India's 52nd Republic Day, at . The epicentre was about 9 km south-southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat ...
, all the branches of Lijjat gave a total donation of more than 4.8 million, including Rs 1 million from the central office. Lijjat built forty houses for the rehabilitation of the people of Bhujpur (
Bhachau Bhachau is a city and a municipality in Kutch district in the state of Gujarat, India. Bhachau was one of many devastated towns in the Kutch region of the Indian state of Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. ...
) in Kutch District.Bhujpur Punarvas, Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad.


See also

*
Amul Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL) is an Indian dairy state government cooperative society, based in Anand, Gujarat. Formed in 1946, it is a cooperative brand managed by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), which today i ...
*
Cooperative movement in India The cooperative movement in India plays a crucial role in the agricultural sector, banking and housing. Many cooperative societies, particularly in rural areas, increase political participation and are used as a stepping stone by aspiring politici ...
*
Khadi Khadi (, ), derived from khaddar, is a hand-spun and woven natural fibre cloth promoted by Mahatma Gandhi as ''swadeshi'' (self-sufficiency) for the freedom struggle of the Indian subcontinent, and the term is used throughout India, Pakistan ...
*
Khadi and Village Industries Commission The Khadii and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body formed in April 1957 by the Government of India, under the Act of Parliament, 'Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956'. It is an apex organisation under the ...


References


External links


Official Site: Lijjat.com
{{Authority control Cooperatives in India Worker cooperatives of India Women's organisations based in India Organisations based in Mumbai Organizations established in 1959 1959 establishments in Bombay State