Vijayawada Mayor Koneru Sridhar on Saturday advised women entrepreneurs to adopt the 150-odd slums in the city and train, both girls and women, in various vocational courses in making them self-reliant.
Speaking at the felicitation programme for women achievers – Wo’Mentor 2017 -organised by the Confederation Of Women Entrepreneurs of India (COWEI), he cited the example of a popular rose garden set up by women near Patamata which won the appreciation of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. “Though many women are exhibiting interest to set up production units, the main hurdle they face is marketing,” he pointed out.
He asked the women entrepreneurs to set up training centres in various wards also to bolster the women empowerment initiative.
Former MP Chennupati Vidya said while educated women were making head way in their ventures, the uneducated lot was suffering owing to poor marketability. “Training, production and marketing should go hand in hand. Surveys should be conducted on the marketability of the products,” she suggested.
COWEI president Suhasini advised the VMC to enact a bill so that the shops of women entrepreneurs could make it to the malls.
“So many shopping malls are coming up and people are making their purchases in the malls.
Shops of women entrepreneurs in the mall will be beneficial.”
Cumbersome process
She said more women were showing interest in buying and selling rather than setting up of an industry because of the cumbersome process of getting the permission. “A single window system will be beneficial. Women are unable to make rounds at various bureaucrats to get the necessary permissions and licences.”
Ms. Suhasini said soon the federation will set up a branding cell to guide the women on ways and means of penetrating the market. “The aim of the federation is to produce more exporters and thus increase the foreign exchange.”
Deputy Mayor Gogula Venkata Ramana and others took part in the function.
