Daltonganj (Palamau): The 45-day lac bangle-making training from March 9 to April 22 at Kundri Lah Bagaan in Lesliganj, a large grove of palash trees where lac is found in abundance, sprung a surprise.

Under the scheduled training programme, Medininagar forest division had earmarked two trainers for 20 rural women from Dalit and OBC segments at a budget of Rs 3 lakh in Kundri.

Instead of 20 women, 52 women enthusiastically took the training, the 32 more having insisted on learning to make bangles.

Medininagar forest divisional officer N.C.S. Munda said that when he inspected the training facility on March 18 and discovered 52 women, he pulled up ranger Binod Kumar Vishwakarma of Kundri and slapped on him a showcause. Vishwakarma replied he had inadequate information about the number of slots for the training.

But something good came out of this bureaucratic irregularity. The 32 women, who came along with the 20, said they did not want the Rs 90 stipend for food and commute or even the training certificate that the original 20 were entitled to, they were only happy to learn the skill.

Kamlesh Singh, secretary of social outfit Riddhi Siddhi Prathmik Lah Utpadak Sahyog Samiti in Kundri, which implemented the lac bangle training sponsored by Medininagar forest division, said women from Dalit and OBC sectors learnt a skill that would make them self-sufficient.

Lone trainer Shakil Ansari from Purulia in Bengal - the other one left due to a domestic tragedy, DFO Munda said - said he did this job alone to the best of his ability. "I believe the trained women will earn money by making bangles and selling them," Ansari said.

Asked whether these trained women would manage to tackle the tough competition from bangle-makers in Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh, Medininagar DFO Munda he was confident. "We have emphasised on finish and designs so that our lac bangles stand out and get a good market."

This confidence was seen in trainee Sanju Devi too. The tribal woman from Purushottam village in Panki block, who is learning to make lac bangles, said she was satisfied with the training. "I can make bangles to earn a living now," she said.