Visakhapatnam:The soap manufacturing unit run by the Girijana Cooperative Corporation (GCC) in Araku has been closed for four years. Two months ago, GCC Vice Chairperson and Managing Director Kalpana Kumari announced that production would soon restart. However, the unit remains inactive, leaving the GCC soap manufacturing unit in Vizianagaram as the sole producer of soaps for the GCC.
Approximately 30 to 40 workers are employed at both the Araku and Vizianagaram soap units, benefiting many others indirectly. The GCC had even sent workers for soap-making training in Mumbai. Nonetheless, officials state that the soaps produced at these units are not competitive in the open market.
Under the previous Telugu Desam government, soaps manufactured at the Araku and Vizianagaram units were distributed to students in tribal welfare and gurukula schools, with government funds allocated to the GCC from cosmetics charges. However, during the tenure of the YSRC government, these funds were redirected to the accounts of students' mothers under the Amma Vodi scheme, resulting in a loss of customers for GCC soaps. Consequently, production at the Araku unit ceased.
Officials suggest that the revival of the Araku soap manufacturing unit depends on the tribal welfare department's initiative to resume supplying soaps to hostels. Tribal activists argue that to compete in the open market, the unit must adapt to changing times and not rely solely on tribal welfare and gurukul schools.
Gaduthuri Ramalakshmi, a working member of the Andhra Pradesh Bharatiya Adivasi Samakhya, stated, "The situation calls for strategic planning and coordinated efforts to restore the unit's operations and ensure its sustainability. By enhancing the quality and marketability of the soaps, the Araku unit can regain its footing and contribute to the local economy."
