FLO- NRL Webinar on Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs

Adapting to the new normal and looking at creating opportunities for women entrepreneurs despite challenges, FLO, the Women’s Wing of FICCI in collaboration with Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), a PSU organised a webinar to sensitize and educate women entrepreneurs.

This webinar was a part of organizations’ continuous efforts to help women entrepreneurs take advantage of GOI’s mandate of purchase of 3% from women entrepreneurs. Through the government’s online marketplace for procuring goods from MSEs, women MSEs share has increased from nil in FY18 to 0.25 per cent in FY20 so far.

Jahnabi Phookan, National President, FLO, said “Women entrepreneurs face a lot of challenges when they wish to set up a business. Since the inception, FLO has been working towards empowering and enabling women entrepreneurs and professionals of India and working towards economic self-reliance. Our endeavour is to create economic possibilities for women at different levels and equip them to be in charge of their lives and participate in the sustainable development of the nation”.

Sharing information about the Refinery, technical requirements, processes etc by the NRL, Shri S K Barua, Managing Director at NRL said, “We firmly believe women are the pillars of any society. If we empower women, we empower the entire country. At NRL we are looking to set a tone for the women entrepreneurs in the northeast region to do business with us. For this year, we are looking to do business worth 50-60 crores with women entrepreneurs from the region”.

The session was moderated by Day Chair Juhie Saboo, Chairperson of FLO North East Chapter along with other members from 17 chapters across country.

According to MSME Data around 1.38 lakh projects have been set up by women entrepreneurs under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) Scheme and the projects set up by women entrepreneurs are about 30% of total projects set up under PMEGP. Under the scheme, women entrepreneurs are covered under Special Category and are entitled to 25% and 35% subsidies for the project set up in urban and rural areas respectively. Women beneficiaries, the contribution is 5% of the project cost while for general category it is 10%.