North East women not as empowered as they look like: National Commission of Women

Staff Correspondent

SHILLONG: National Commission of Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma sees that the women the Northeast are not as empowered as they look like despite their active involvement in the day-to-day economics of life.

Sharma was speaking at the inaugural session of the one-day seminar on ‘Empowering Women through Entrepreneurship’ held at the North Eastern Council (NEC) here on Friday.

Terming the women of the region as ‘the men of the Northeast,’ Sharma said although women in the region are actively involved in the economics of day-to-day life, they are yet to be fully empowered as they are denied property rights and are often not allowed to spend freely the money they earn.

On the saturation of employment avenues in many spheres in the region due to intrusion of technology, Sharma felt that entrepreneurial enterprise can go a long way through women empowerment by making women job providers, instead of job seekers. She said one cannot talk of nation building by ignoring 50 per cent of the population. “India can surge ahead only when women are included in nation-building,” she said.

Stating that women often face more challenges than men while setting up business establishments, Sharma urged all women who have taken up entrepreneurial activities to talk about their achievements so as to encourage other women. She also advised women entrepreneurs of the Northeast to utilize the social media and e-commerce platforms to sell their products and have market access otherwise it will continue to remain not easily attainable for them due to the geographical disadvantage of the region.

NCW member Soso Shaiza also spoke at length on the financial and socio-economic challenges being faced by women entrepreneurs and the way and means to overcome the challenges.

Meanwhile, five award-winning women entrepreneurs excelling in the fields of communications, agriculture and e-commerce, banking, weaving and fashion, floriculture, event and wedding planning shared their experience at the seminar. The five entrepreneurs are Tanushree Hazarika, Leena Saikia, Lakshmi Baruah, Janessaline M Pyngrope and Queency Thangkhiew.

Also read: Meghalaya news