Entrepreneurship Platform collaborates with Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation to empower female entrepreneurs through the ‘Faral Sakhi’ initiative

The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has developed a flagship project named ‘Faral Sakhi’ to encourage women entrepreneurs in the city of Mira Bhayandar, Maharashtra. The initiative will give thorough training and assistance to women entrepreneurs involved in traditional snack manufacture, allowing them to develop their businesses sustainably and successfully. MBMC cooperated with NITI Aayog’s Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) to formally launch ‘Faral Sakhi’ as part of WEP’s Award to Reward program.

WEP, which began as an aggregator platform at NITI Aayog in 2018, will shift to a public-private partnership in 2022. WEP strives to empower women entrepreneurs by addressing information asymmetry and offering a continuum of support across many pillars, including access to finance, market linkages, training and skill development, mentoring and networking, compliance and legal assistance, and business development services.

The ‘Faral Sakhi’ program intends to provide permanent job possibilities for women by including them in the preparation and marketing of traditional holiday delicacies (‘Faral’). MBMC established a central kitchen where women from self-help groups (SHGs) may professionally make these refreshments. MBMC also helps these ladies by providing sales places and marketing their items in municipal advertisements. During the Diwali season, the effort was extremely successful, selling over 3 tons of snacks due to their outstanding quality and taste.

25 women from Mira Bhayandar will be chosen for technical training in business operations. This workshop, offered by the Centre for Education, Governance, and Public Policy (CEGP Foundation), will provide participants with the skills and information required to develop sustainable enterprises .

WEP provides a venue for all ecosystem players from government, industry, charity, and civil society to interact, converge, and align their endeavors to create scalable, sustainable, and successful programs that have a greater impact on women entrepreneurs. In 2023, WEP took a significant step in institutionalizing the relationship by launching the Award to Reward program, which brings stakeholders together to solve the unique needs of women entrepreneurs while simultaneously celebrating their triumphs. The ‘Award to Reward’ project under WEP provides stakeholders with a plug-and-play framework for developing meaningful initiatives.

“Supporting women entrepreneurs is vital to achieve women-led development. WEP provides comprehensive support to women entrepreneurs right from training, skilling, access to resources, mentors and networks. WEP works on the three guiding principles to empower women and enable them to achieve self-reliance: Iccha Shakti (power of motivation to start & scale business), Gyaan Shakti (power of knowledge to overcome information asymmetry) and Karma Shakti (power of action through handholding & support). By integrating the ‘Faral Sakhi’ initiative into the ‘Award to Reward’ program, we are fostering the growth of women-led home industries, enabling them to transition into large-scale enterprises. This initiative is not only about creating businesses but also about inspiring societal transformation,” said Ms. Anna Roy, Principal Economic Adviser, NITI Aayog and Mission Director, WEP.

“The ‘Faral Sakhi’ initiative represents a significant step toward the holistic development of women entrepreneurs. Through this partnership with WEP, we are preparing the women of Mira Bhayandar to lead sustainable industries and inspire future generations,” said Shri Sanjay Katkar, Municipal Commissioner, Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation.