Ahmedabad: The National Commission for Women (NCW) in collaboration with the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) has announced the launch of 100 Entrepreneurship Awareness Programmes (EAPs) for potential women entrepreneurs across the country. The first EAP out of the 100 to be organised across the country was launched in Ujjain on Friday, by Chief Guest, Shri Mangubhai Patel, Hon’ble Governor of Madhya Pradesh and Guest of Honour, Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Hon’ble Minister of State, Ministry of Women and Child Development, GoI, in the presence of dignitaries including Smt. Rekha Sharma, Chairperson, NCW; Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII; and Smt. Meenakshi Negi, Member Secretary, NCW.
The aim of the one-day EAP is to orient participating women to the benefits of adopting entrepreneurship as a career, learn the finer skills and overcome social, economic, and familial barriers to becoming entrepreneurs. The EAPs aim to develop entrepreneurial skills among women to gain knowledge, skills and motivation to build their own businesses.
Speaking about the EAP, the Hon’ble Governor of MP, Shri Mangubhai Patel, said, “India is moving ahead with the vision of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’. Development under women-led leadership is coming up big way and is getting accepted and recognised. Women associated with the Self Help Groups are moving forward significantly. They are showing the confidence of speaking about their success, their enterprises and their future plans. Women have progressed phenomenally under the initiatives implemented by the country under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister of the country. Rural areas have especially progressed with subsidies to women to set up enterprises. Under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, training and development opportunities have opened up for women. I congratulate the National Commission for Women and Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India for this extraordinary initiative towards women empowerment through entrepreneurship.”
Emphasising on the need for a conducive environment for women entrepreneurs, Dr. Munjpara, said, “We have been working towards taking forward India’s women-led development agenda by accelerating women’s leadership and empowerment in public as well as private sector. Women who are the backbone of our society, play a pivotal role in shaping our future. Empowering them is our moral responsibility and a necessary condition for sustainable development. This collaboration between the National Commission for Women and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India will help build women entrepreneurs’ capacity and sensitise relevant stakeholders.”
Smt. Rekha Sharma said, “Women, although are a critical part of society, still lag behind when it comes to economic empowerment and independence. Women need to be encouraged to become economically empowered. India has a conducive ecosystem to support women’s entrepreneurship. Given this, women are getting motivated to set up their MSMEs. Women entrepreneurs extend job opportunities to other women, and that is the need of the hour. Women need to speak about their success, network and step forth. I am sure all of this will be possible with the support of the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII). If institutions like EDII handhold us in our endeavour, we will sure succeed.”
Speaking about the collaboration, Dr Sunil Shukla said, “Over the last ten years, India has noticeably progressed, and that has been possible only because the women populace of the country has been encouraged to become financially independent. I am happy to announce that NCW and EDII have collaborated to promote women entrepreneurship. This will strengthen the country immensely.”
About Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII)
The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad was set up in 1983 as an autonomous and not-for-profit Institute with support of apex financial institutions – the IDBI Bank Ltd., IFCI Ltd., ICICI Bank Ltd. and State Bank of India (SBI). The Government of Gujarat pledged twenty-three acres of land on which stands the majestic and sprawling EDII Campus. EDII has been recognised as the CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Govt. of India. The Institute has also been listed as the Institute of National Importance by the Education Department, Govt. of Gujarat. For more information visit: www.ediindia.org
About National Commission for Women
About National Commission for Women The National Commission for Women (NCW) was set up as statutory body in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 (Act No.20 of 1990 of Govt. of India) to review the Constitutional and legal safeguards for women; recommend remedial legislative measures, facilitate redress of grievances and advise the Government on all policy matters affecting women. The mission of NCW is to strive towards enabling women to achieve equality and equal participation in all spheres of life by securing her due rights and entitlements through suitable policy formulation, legislative measures, effective enforcement of laws, implementation of schemes/policies and devising strategies for solution of specific problems/situations arising out of discrimination and atrocities against women.