GUWAHATI, June 28 - NITI Aayog, the policy making body of the Government of India, has appointed Sreemanta Sankar Mission of Guwahati as a nodal agency under its flagship Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) to work for the benefits of woman entrepreneurs of the North East, including Sikkim.
A Statement of Intent (SoI) was signed in that regard between Anna Roy, Chairperson, Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), NITI Aayog and Asomee Dutta Baruah, Secretary General, Sreemanta Sankar Mission of Guwahati, in the presence of Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog and other officials of the apex policy making body at the NITI Aayog headquarters on Wednesday.
�This is for the first time that an NGO from the North-east has been roped in by NITI Aayog for taking forward its coveted programme meant for the welfare of lakhs of women entrepreneurs in the country,� a press release said.
Asomee Dutta Baruah has also been appointed as the Head (NE Region) of the WEP, NITI Aayog.
The WEP of the NITI Aayog is a first-of-its-kind, unified access portal which brings together women from different parts of India to realise their entrepreneurial aspirations. In addition to providing services such as free credit ratings, mentorship, funding support to women entrepreneurs, apprenticeship and corporate partnership; it will encourage entrepreneurs to share their entrepreneurial experiences to nurture mutual learning.
The WEP platform, as a driver of change, will also promote off-line initiatives and outreach programmes to promote entrepreneurial spirit among potential women entrepreneurs, in collaboration with partner organisations.
As a nodal agency of the NITI Aayog WEP, Sreemanta Sankar Mission of Guwahati, which works for women entrepreneurs and confers the annual Vasundhara NE Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award, will be working to cover lakhs of women in the region who need support in their entrepreneurial effort.
Along with Sreemanta Sankar Mission of Guwahati, the other organisations that signed pacts with NITI Aayog for working in other parts of the country are Mahila Sewa Sahakari Bank Ltd, Ahmedabad, SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited, Kolkata, India Bulls Housing Finance Ltd, Mumbai and SEWA, Ahmedabad, the release added.
