Goa [India], October 7 : The inaugural edition of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP)-NITI Aayog State Workshop Series, on enabling women-led development through entrepreneurship, was a resounding success, accprding to an official release.
The event was held at the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) Auditorium in Goa on October 3.
This workshop, conducted in collaboration with the Goa government, aimed at catalysing women-led development in the western region of the country, read the release issued by the NITI Aayog.
With over 500 participants, the workshop brought together a diverse group, including women entrepreneurs, local self-help groups (SHGs), government officials, industry representatives, incubators/accelerators, financial institutions, and philanthropic foundations.
The central theme was the discussion of a hub-and-spoke model that seeks to extend women-led development to the grassroots level, reaching every corner of society.
Among the dignitaries at event were Gujarat Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, VK Saraswat, member, NITI Aayog, and BVR Subramanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog, the release added.
CM Sawant announced that the Goa State Vision 2047 would be developed with assistance from NITI Aayog.
He celebrated the three-year milestone of the Swayampurna Goa initiative, emphasising its focus on skill development and the deployment of "Swayampurna Grameen Mitras" for delivering government services at people's doorsteps in every block and panchayat of the state.
Sawant reiterated the vital role of women in socio-economic progress and announced the launch of the Swayampurna e-bazaar during Dussehra, the release stated, adding that this initiative aims at enhancing market access through Common Service Centres.
Saraswat underscored the pivotal role of states in driving the nation's growth and outlined three key priorities maintaining the employment-to-education ratio, promoting women's entrepreneurship, and restructuring the workforce, according to the press release.
Subrahmanyam reaffirmed the central government's unwavering commitment to women-led development as a top priority.
"It need not necessarily be a separate institution; it could be a department or an existing body. But just make it the central point to think and plan for the future. Its staff should not be engaged in any other work," Subrahmanyam said.
He stressed NITI Aayog's support in helping state governments establish similar institutions. Subrahmanyam suggested that these institutions could be departments or existing bodies, emphasizing their role in thinking and planning for the future, according to the release.
The workshop also saw the announcement of several collaborations aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs.
The highlights included a partnership between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and NITI Aayog, the launch of Udyam Uplift by CAxpert to enhance compliance among women-led businesses, and the introduction of the first two cohorts under WEP's Award to Reward (ATR) initiative, the release stated.
The initial ATR cohort, led by WEP partners Microsave Consulting and SIDBI, titled WEP-Unnati, is open for applications from green entrepreneurs across India.
The second cohort, named WeNurture, will be led by Atal Incubation Centre - Goa Institute of Management. These initiatives aim to empower and uplift women entrepreneurs, fostering their growth and contribution to India's development, according to the release.
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