Kolkata: With Bengal emerging as the top scorer in the landscape of women-owned MSMEs accounting for 23.42 per cent share of female-owned enterprises, there has been a relentless stride to push forward the comprehensive development drive for the young women entrepreneurs.
In a commendable initiative as a part of the drive for empowering rural women, a free training programme was recently held in Jhargram for the tribal women. The Pig Farming Training and Research Institute of India, an initiative was recently organised by Bharatiya Jana Seva Mission imparting free training among 40 tribal women farmers and entrepreneurs from Jhargram and West Midnapore.
The programme was meticulously designed to equip participants with essential skills and knowledge for transitioning from traditional pig rearing to sustainable commercial pig farming. One of the main objectives is to pave the way for economic independence and foster a new wave of rural women entrepreneurs from the region. The training modules covered a range of topics, including advanced pig farming techniques, breed selection, nutrition management, disease prevention, business planning and market linkage strategies. Expert trainers guided the women through each aspect, ensuring they left with actionable insights and newfound confidence.
“Our goal is to create sustainable livelihoods for women in rural areas. By providing hands-on training and business mentorship, we aim to help them build profitable piggery enterprises that can uplift entire communities,” said the coordinator of the pig farming training.
Bengal has emerged as a hub for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the light of about 3,838 industrial parks set up over 1,607 acres of land while 44 proposals for the same were accepted by the state government.
Women members of the families were helped in setting up their own ventures in various levels. To reach out to around 4,24,600 entrepreneurs from across the state, about 2,407 camps have been organised.
An online single window system ‘Shilpa Sathi’ portal was created to facilitate the industrialists/entrepreneurs interested in starting a new venture. To guide the new entrepreneurs from the districts as to how a new venture can be started, an industry helpline centre was opened in each district. The Mamata Banerjee government has already given financial assistance of Rs 426 crore under Bhabishyat Credit Card Scheme to 20,000 youths.