Guwahati Today
Women entrepreneurs' hub in city: Patowary
GUWAHATI, Aug 30: “A Women Entrepreneurs Hub will be set up in Guwahati which will exclusively cater the products made by women,” declared Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary while iugurating the three-day exhibition on ‘Traditiol Jewellery Designing and Making, Block Printing and Lifestyle Products’ at Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati on Tuesday. 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 tiol and intertiol markets, while retaining the traditiol motifs. He, therefore, asked the department officials to rope in professiol 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, Patowary said that an Industrial Park would 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 would 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 tiol Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Kolkata.
Additiol Chief Secretary Ravi Capoor said that the Department has so far trained around 500 women in candle-making, tural dye, jute and water hyacinth weaving, and would extend all help to set up their own enterprises. Additiol 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.