Raipur: In an effort towards rural women empowerment, NIT Raipur, Dhamtari district administration and BRP Government Polytechnic College on Wednesday signed a tripartite MoU to implement Stree Project aimed at creating sustainable livelihoods for women in the district.Officials said the project aims to make 300 rural women self-reliant through skill development, with special focus on women from underprivileged, tribal and agro-based communities. The training will include kosa silk cocoon processing, fiber extraction, modern weaving techniques, product design, entrepreneurship development and market linkages. The project – Skill Development through Technological Resources for Empowering Economic Development of Women (STRE) – will be implemented over 36 months with financial assistance of approximately Rs 90 lakh under the TDUPW-A2K+ program of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Union Ministry of Science and Technology.NIT Raipur Director NV Raman Rao, Collector and District Magistrate Avinash Mishra and Principal of Polytechnic College signed the MoU at Dhamtari Collectorate. Collector Mishra said that Dhamtari has strong potential for handloom and agriculture-based livelihoods and this project will help in enhancing local skills through scientific and technical assistance. This will improve the income of women and strengthen their socio-economic status.