Women Stepping Forth As
Entrepreneurs is Heartening
...TATA Communications’ UDAYA Project
In line with EDII’s efforts to promote women entrepreneurship is the Project Udaya, wherein the Institute has joined hands with TATA Communications Ltd. to promote entrepreneurship among women from SC / ST, weaker sections and SHG members for sustainable income generation through enterprise creation. The first phase project was launched on June 4, 2019, at Pune in Raigad district of Maharashtra with an aim to develop entrepreneurial capabilities among potential women entrepreneurs; strengthen their knowledge, skills and behavioural attributes to initiate, plan and implement entrepreneurship development activities. The first phase has been successfully completed.
Over the course of two years, 1145 women have been sensitized through 22 ntrepreneurship Awareness Camps (EACs), and 342 potential women have been trained through 12 customized Women Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (WEDPs). The project has resulted in the establishment of 161 new businesses by women who have been trained and handheld as part of the programme. The total amount invested is Rs. 207.95 lakhs. The average unit investment is Rs. 1.29 lakh. The employment opportunities generated by the women entrepreneurs is 232.
After the successful completion of the phase 1, the next phase of the project was initiated in Raigad and Ratnagiri districts from April, 2021. During the last three months, EDII has sensitized 81 women from the affirmative action community under two EACs and has conducted one Women Entrepreneurship Development Programme at Mangaon, Raigad in which 28 potential women entrepreneurs were trained.
Glimpses from WEDP held at Mangoan
Programme Director, Mr. Prakash Solanki said, “This programme has been achieving commendable success in terms of rate of New Enterprise Creation because the focus is on imparting skills that have market relevance and the potential to stand successful given the level of competition. I wish India sees an influx of women entrepreneurs who continue to excel.”
She Rises and Shines...
Mrs. Meghna Sanjog Palwankar had always harboured the dream of making it big as an entrepreneur but could not figure out how to put the blocks together. As destiny would have it, she came to know about the EDII Udaya Project and enrolled for Women Entrepreneurship Development Programme. She says, “That was the turning point as one after the other my questions started getting answered. I learnt about business opportunity identification, marketing, communication, business plan preparation, dealing with customers, accounts and bookkeeping, setting up and managing a venture, and the entrepreneurial skills required to scale up in business.” Based on her understanding, rounds of discussions with EDII Faculty / experts and given the market demands, she set up a mask and sanitizer manufacturing unit
with an investment of Rs. 25,000. While this unit took off, she gained confidence in doing business and nurtured her inner desire of setting up a Food Joint in South Indian Cuisine. She invested Rs. 1.50 lacs and set up her unit from which she is today clocking a profit of Rs. 10,000 per month.
Meghna concludes, “I have the confidence which emanates from the knowledge that I received from the EDII conducted WEDP. The more I venture out, the more my entrepreneurial instincts get sharpened. I am in a very happy state today. My heartfelt thanks to EDII and Tata Communications.”
