Friday, March 29, 2024

Regional

Himachal woman entrepreneurs showcase their products at exhibition-cum-sale mela

Yadavindra S Rana | November 20, 2021 08:07 PM

CHANDIGARH:Women entrepreneurs display their range of products at an exhibition-cum-sale at
Himachal Bhavan, Chandigarh. Hall of Himachal Bhavan is abuz with budding entrepreneurs
displaying and selling their products. A 5-day exhibition “Him Aajeevka Mela” , there are 45 stalls
featuring evertything from art and crafts to food and clothes prepared by rural women
entrepreneurs across the state.
The exhbition is inaugurated by the Governor of Himachal Pradesh in presence of Mr
Virender Kanwar, Minister for rural development and panchayat.
The exhibition has 45 stalls displaying and selling item from pine needle products to apple
chutney and jam. Weavers of Kullu who have resumed production post the hand wooven warm
clothes from shawls to woolen garments of various designs. At some stalls, women are busy
promoting their line of hand crafted traditional bagts, pine needle products.
At some stalls women entrepreneurs also display and sell oil, pickels, apple chutney and
jam, haldi, herbal products, natural red rice, rajmah and Kangra paintings with a sense of pride.
While talking to some up-coming women entrepreneurs said that they felt a sense of self-
dependence and handsome income in their hands.
Mr Varinder Kanwar revealed that the government has fixed the target of providing Rs one
lakh incremental income within a year. The department has also opened 40 Himra shops and Himra
markets to facilitate marketing for their products. Withen four months, sale at Himra Shops
tourched Rs 35 lakh. The government has also uploaded 51 products on Amazon and more than 500
products would be uploaded soon. “Our mission is to provide international market to the products
of these women entrepreneurs which in turn empower our rural woman folk, ” added the minister.
He also further revealed that in the recent past to boost the sale of their products, Himra
canteens have been opened in all it is and all canteens were run by Self-help group of women. At
present the state has around 29, 000 SHGs having 2.50 lakh members.
The government also is assisting women in marketing, packaging their products. They
were being provided training in packaging. They were being given packing raw material and
packaging machines free of cost. So far department had given 15 such machines, said the official of
rural development department. Showcasing their works at such exhibitions will not only encourage
them but will also have them to prusue it as a career, added he.
The exhibition-cum-sale will be concluded on November 24.

Have something to say? Post your comment