GUWAHATI: “A Women Entrepreneurs Hub will be set up in Guwahati which will exclusively cater the products made by women”, declared Assam’s Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary while inaugurating the three-day exhibition on ‘Traditional Jewellery Designing and Making, Block Printing and Lifestyle Products’ at Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati. The programme was sponsored by the Women Cell of the Commissionerate of Industries and Commerce, Assam.
Lauding the efforts in crafting exquisite products and designs, the Minister asked the women entrepreneurs to focus on innovation and quality to compete in the national and international markets, while retaining the traditional motifs. He therefore asked the department officials to rope in professional experts to impart training on fine quality commodities.
The minister also added that the upcoming Incubation Centre at Ambari, Guwahati would dedicate two floors of the building for products, goods and artefacts designed and made by women. Stating that only micro industries can provide large employment opportunities at comparatively lower capital investments than large industries, Minister Patowary said that an Industrial Park will be set up at Jagiroad on a plot of 19 bighas land with 40 sheds of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) where women entrepreneurs will be given preferences.
Minister Patowary distributed certificates to the trainees who successfully underwent the jewellery designing and block printing course at Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery, Jaipur and IIE, Guwahati and fashion deigning at National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Kolkata.
Additional Chief Secretary, Ravi Capoor said that the Department had so far trained around 500 women in candle-making, natural dye, jute and water hyacinth weaving, and would extend all help to set up their own enterprises. Additional Director, Industries and Commerce, Manjula Saikia Bhuyan in her presentation mentioned that department plans to provide a platform to the women entrepreneurs in upcoming events like IITF, New Delhi and BIMSTEC Expo, Kolkata.
Meanwhile, National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), under the sponsorship of Women Cell, Commissionerate of Industries and Commerce, has sent 50 women for advance training programme for two weeks to Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore for food processing and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International School of Textiles and Management (SVPSTM), Coimbatore for fashion designing.