Chandigarh, November 27, 2019 (Yes Punjab News)
In a unique initiative taken by two women union ministers to uplift women as well as help double farm income, the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) and Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) today entered into a agreement to establish new “National Organic Festival of Women Entrepreneurs”, the first edition of which will be held at NIFTEM, Sonipat.
A decision to this effect was taken at an event in Delhi by ministers Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Mrs Smriti Irani who along with the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) signed a memorandum of understanding to gives wings to this initiative which aims at encouraging women entrepreneurs and farmers to connect with buyers. This will empower both rural women and farmers besides promoting organic food produce in India.
Disclosing this, an official spokesperson said Mrs Harsimrat Badal while detailing the contours of the cooperation between the two ministries, said the event would be planned and organized through NIFTEM which is an academic institution under the administrative control of Ministry of Food Processing Industries. She said on its part the
Ministry of Women and Child Development had agreed to transfer the funds for organizing the event to the Vice Chancellor of the institute.
Speaking about the festival, Mrs Badal said it would feature organic produce, processed food, fabric, cosmetics, pesticides and fungicides among many products. She added that the festival would strive to provide market and supply chain linkages to women producers in order to facilitate their financial inclusion.
Mrs Smriti Irani while speaking on the occasion said the NDA government was focused on converging strengths of various ministries to serve the people in a better manner. She said the present initiative, which was a step in this direction, would benefit millions of women engaged in organic farming across the country.
The agreement was signed by Mrs Pushpa Subramanyam, Secretary, on behalf of Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Mr Rabindra Panwar, Secretary, on behalf of Ministry of Women and Child Development. The event took place in the presence of Mrs Badal and Mrs Irani.
