Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar attended the inauguration of a sewing and tailoring training centre run by Antyodaya Foundation in village Barana, Panipat Rural assembly constituency, Haryana, on Saturday, 25 July 2026. The centre is aimed at equipping rural women with vocational skills to earn a dignified livelihood and contribute actively to their families' progress.

Context

Khattar, sharing his participation on X, described the initiative as a step toward making women 'atmanirbhar evam arthik roop se sashakt' ('self-reliant and economically empowered'). He noted that when women receive skill, opportunity, and confidence, they bring positive change not only to their own lives but also energise the broader goal of an Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India). The minister extended his congratulations to Antyodaya Foundation for what he called an 'inspiring campaign of women's empowerment and public service.'

The event was held at the grassroots level in Barana, a village within the Panipat Rural constituency — a region where agricultural dependence remains high and non-farm livelihood options for women are limited. The inauguration reflects a wider effort to take skill infrastructure directly into rural pockets rather than concentrating it in district or block headquarters.

Policy Backdrop

The Antyodaya Foundation's tailoring centre fits within a well-established policy lineage. The Skill India Mission, launched in 2015, expanded vocational training with dedicated components for women, while the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana, introduced in 2014, specifically targeted the poorest households with sustainable livelihood options including tailoring and handicrafts.

Sewing-based training has historically been one of the most accessible entry points for rural women into the formal skill ecosystem, requiring relatively low capital investment while offering a direct path to self-employment or micro-enterprise. Central schemes have encouraged local non-governmental organisations to serve as delivery partners at the village level, precisely the model Antyodaya Foundation appears to follow in Panipat.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries are rural women of Panipat Rural constituency, who gain access to structured vocational training without having to travel to urban centres. For households in agrarian belts, a second income from tailoring work — whether home-based or through small units — can meaningfully reduce economic vulnerability, especially during off-seasons.

Khattar's presence as a Union Minister and former Chief Minister of Haryana lends political visibility to the initiative, potentially signalling state-level attention to women's livelihood programmes in the region. The Antyodaya Foundation, as the operating organisation, stands to benefit from greater public and institutional recognition that could support the scaling of similar centres in other villages.

What's Next

Centres such as the one inaugurated in Barana could potentially be integrated with the National Skill Development Corporation's district-level action plans, unlocking additional funding and certification pathways for trainees. Haryana's state budget allocations for women's livelihood schemes will be a key indicator of how much institutional backing such grassroots efforts receive going forward.

As the national self-reliance agenda continues to emphasise women's economic participation as a pillar of inclusive growth, the replication of low-cost, community-embedded skill centres across Haryana's rural constituencies is likely to remain a visible strand of both policy and political outreach.