Mandya’s RSETI and Women’s SHG Win Top State Awards for Skill and Self‑Employment Initiatives

What Happened

The Bank of Baroda Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) in Mandya was declared the best‑performing institute in the Mysuru division at the Kaushalya Karnataka‑2026 Awards. The institute trained 1,037 candidates in 2025‑26, hitting 104 % of its 1,000‑person target. Of those, 920 moved into self‑employment or wage jobs; 919 started their own businesses, with 653 securing bank loans and 266 funding ventures from personal savings. One trainee obtained wage employment. RSETI also recorded the highest number of self‑employment take‑ups and the most bank‑credit beneficiaries in the state, and it added new business activities to its curriculum. The Arasamma Women’s Self‑Help Group (SHG) of the Keragodu Sanjeevini Federation in Mandya taluk won the non‑farm livelihood award under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission. The group operates ‘Matsya Vahini – Akkana Mane Meenoota’, a mobile fish‑food canteen that has served the Mandya Zilla Panchayat office for a year. The district’s Zilla Panchayat, together with the Fisheries Department and Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation, supplied mobile canteens to 11 women’s SHGs and gave professional training before launch. The administration also helped the groups showcase their products at agricultural fairs and flower shows. The awards will be presented on Thursday, November 5, at the Ashoka Hotel in Bengaluru. Mandya Zilla Panchayat CEO Nandini K.R., Assistant Project Officer Sriharsha, RSETI officials and Arasamma SHG members have been invited.

Reaction

Nandini K.R., the Zilla Panchayat chief executive officer, praised RSETI’s director, staff and trainers for equipping rural youth with market‑relevant skills and enabling economic self‑reliance. She also highlighted the SHG’s innovative mobile canteen as a model for women‑led non‑farm enterprises.

Context

Kaushalya Karnataka is a state‑level programme that recognises outstanding contributions to skill training and self‑employment, supporting Karnataka’s broader push to create sustainable rural livelihoods.