Today, on 2078-02-28, under the chairmanship of Hon'ble Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Shri Kamala Kumari Parajuli, "Interaction Program on Development and Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurship" was conducted through virtual medium with the participation of women entrepreneurs involved in various professions and businesses of the country. During the meeting, various policies and programs implemented by the Government of Nepal for the development of women entrepreneurship as well as the difficulties and challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in running their businesses were discussed in detail. The program was attended by about 50 people from all over the country, including women entrepreneurs affiliated to the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs and women involved in various professions and businesses.
Speaking on the occasion, Hon'ble Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Kamala Kumari Parajuli, said that empowering women not only politically but also socially and economically would enhance the status and prestige of women in the society and help in controlling the incidence of gender based violence against women. He pointed out that in order to empower women financially, women need to be ensured easy access to financial resources and technology, women need to be involved in productive work by learning skills and knowledge and proper marketing of goods and services produced by women entrepreneurs. He said that the development of entrepreneurship would help in making the life of women comfortable and dignified in the context of the multi-faceted role of women from home to outside.
At the beginning of the interaction program, Hon'ble Member of the Commission, Mr. Vidyakumari Sinha, briefed about the various activities being carried out by the National Commission for Women in the field of women's rights and sought suggestions from women entrepreneurs on the initiatives to be taken by the Commission for the development of women entrepreneurship. He said that he has a program.
Hon'ble Member of the Commission, Shri Krishna Kumari Poudel Khatiwada, stressed on the need for the concerned sector to conduct concessional programs with priority for the rehabilitation and rehabilitation of many women entrepreneurs as their enterprises have been shut down due to the ban and lockdown issued on control of COVID-19. He pointed out that giving political rights to women alone is not enough and there is a need to make women self-reliant by involving them in income generating activities by imparting knowledge of modern skills and technology.
At the interaction program, Mr. Deepak Kafle, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security, presented an informative working paper on the policies and various arrangements implemented by the Government of Nepal for women entrepreneurs. Similarly, the President of the Federation of Women Entrepreneurs, Mr. Rita Singh, presented a working paper on the contribution made by women entrepreneurs in the economy of the country and the problems and solutions currently seen in women entrepreneurship.
Participants in the program said that despite various policies and programs implemented by the Government of Nepal and commercial banks to promote women entrepreneurship, it has not been implemented effectively, women entrepreneurs still have difficulty in obtaining loans without collateral, there are problems in marketing of products, small enterprises are willing to do business. He pointed out that it is difficult for women to get concessions and facilities at the local level, the distribution of concessions has not been done in a just manner, women's skills and easy access to modern technology have not been established and this needs to be addressed by all. Speakers at the program suggested that the state should give priority to the economic development of women along with political rights as women cannot be economically self-sufficient and cannot participate in other activities of the society to a lesser extent.
At the beginning of the interaction program, Secretary of the Commission Manoj Kumar Acharya highlighted the objective of the program and welcomed all the participants. The program was conducted by Mira Sherchan, Senior Women Development Officer (Deputy Secretary) of the Commission.
Friday, June 28, 2078