When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted economic activity, traditional weaver communities and women self-help groups (SHGs) in Narayanpet, Telangana suffered their worst crisis – stocks piled up, sales declined and livelihoods hung by a thread. Amidst the distress, District Collector Hari Chandana emerged as a beacon of hope, spearheading an inventive mask-making initiative creating jobs while generating profits. Her administrative excellence spotlighted solutions converging community empowerment with real-time needs. #AdministrativeExcellence #COVIDInnovation

Telangana’s Narayanpet is renowned for its handloom weaving heritage and GI-tagged garments. Chandana recognized the urgency to save its 5000 weaver households battling declining sales, unusable dead stocks and income loss during early pandemic uncertainty. Simultaneously, district health protocols mandated wider cloth mask adoption, creating shortage and an opportunity. #EmpoweringArtisans #HeritageHandlooms

Chandana strategically brought together weavers and 3000 local women comprising self-help groups (SHGs) with sewing skills. Facilitating cloth purchase agreements and mask production by SHGs, her collaboration provided financial aid to weavers by clearing inventories while creating large-scale employment for women through micro-entrepreneurship meeting burgeoning market needs. Thereby uplifting two vulnerable groups simultaneously. #WomenEmpowerment #StrategicConvergence

As the innovative masking ecosystem gained traction, Chandana assisted women SHGs in augmenting capacities, distribution and diversifying into ancillary wellness products like ayurvedic immunity boosters using hyperlocal ingredients, generating additional revenues. Adopting an agile administrative approach, she turned the COVID crisis into an opportunity converging community participation with well-timed institutional interventions. #RuralEnterprises #LivelihoodSecurity

With over 4000 jobs created and Rs 50 lakhs profits secured through collective efforts, Chandana not only mitigated citizens’ pandemic distress but also empowered weaver and SHG women with renewed dignity, financial independence and future pathways for self-reliance. Her creative governance won Chandana national recognition through the Prime Minister’s award shortlisting. #CollectiveAction #GarneringRecognition

Hari Chandana Dasari demonstrates how nimble administrative approaches upholding participative development can empower those most marginalized, lighting a brighter way forward even amidst the bleakest of crises. Her collaborative initiatives reveal how every citizen has hidden potential waiting to be unlocked in the march towards equitable progress. #ParticipativeDevelopment #EquitableProgress