Bhubaneswar: Project Basketry has not only helped women earn a steady income but also revived traditional bamboo craftsmanship in Laumal and adjoining villages of Odisha’s Sambalpur district.
It is an initiative of Aditya Aluminium, a unit of Aditya Birla Group’s Hindalco Industries Limited, under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, implemented in collaboration with the NGO Uphold Earth.
According to a company release, the core objective of Project Basketry is to empower local artisans with essential resources and skills. “Under this initiative, bamboo saplings are distributed among community members to encourage bamboo cultivation as a renewable and eco-friendly resource. By enabling artisans to grow their own bamboo, the project ensures a consistent supply of raw material — fostering long-term livelihood sustainability and self-reliance,” it said.
The Head of Mining Business and Sambalpur Cluster Head Kailash Pandey said that project embodies Aditya Aluminium’s vision of inclusive growth with environmental responsibility. “By empowering rural women and revitalizing traditional craftsmanship, the company is building resilient communities anchored in skill, creativity, and self-reliance,” he said.
To strengthen craft-based skills, Aditya Aluminium Lapanga organised a 40-day hands-on training programme on bamboo handicraft making at Laumal village in September-October, focussing on designing and producing utility-based products such as laundry bins, paper bins, and baskets.
Experienced trainers guided participants through each stage of the process — from raw material preparation and design conceptualization to product finishing and market linkage.
“A total of 15 women artisans participated in the inaugural training programme. The impact was immediate and measurable: these women collectively produced and sold 1,350 bamboo products, generating a total revenue of Rs 1,71,870. The achievement not only reflects their enhanced craftsmanship and confidence but also highlights the commercial potential of bamboo-based micro enterprises at the grassroots level,” Pandey added.
Encouraged by the success, Aditya Aluminium’s CSR team has set an ambitious target for the current financial year — to scale Project Basketry from 15 to 100 rural women across multiple villages in the Rengali Block. The broader vision is to develop Rengali as a “Cluster of Bamboo Craft,” creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that nurtures local artisans, strengthens market linkages, and establishes the region as a hub for eco-friendly bamboo products, the release further stated.