BHUBANESWAR: The 21st century is going to be the century of women who will lead the society in every sector, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday. Inaugurating the first Women’s Business Mela of Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Women’s Entrepreneurship Council (IWEC) at Janata Maidan here in virtual mode, Naveen said, “Women in the 21st century have the potential to lead every sector including industry and entrepreneurship.”
In Odisha, he said, the Mission Shakti programme has been a hallmark of women empowerment for over seven million women. “They are now the symbol of transformational change in rural Odisha,” Naveen said. The Chief Minister congratulated the IWEC for hosting ‘India’s first Women’s Business Mela and said it is a very significant day for all women entrepreneurs of the State.
He also thanked the IWEC for being at the forefront of empowering women and helping them in their entrepreneurial journey. Naveen applauded IWEC for achieving the 100+ member milestone set by him in January 2020 and wished that it will grow into a team of 500 strong entrepreneurs soon.
Agriculture and Higher Education Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo also congratulated the IWEC for its initiative and highlighted the policies of the State government for the empowerment of women.
Over 150 stalls have been set up by women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses in the five-day mela that will feature business conferences, seminars, workshops, talk shows, investor pitches, discussion on MSME schemes, financial literacy drive, and an award-giving programme, among others.
A number of SHGs led by Mission Shakti have also taken part in the mela. Tribal entrepreneurs have also set up stalls at the exhibition to showcase and sell their unique products. ICC president Pradeep Sureka, ICC Odisha chairman JB Pany, co-chairman M K Gupta, co-chairperson of IWEC and convenor of IWEC Odisha Sukirti Patnaik and co-convener of IWEC Odisha Tanaya Patnaik also spoke at the event.
OSDA chairman Subroto Bagchi and actress Lara Dutta joined the mela as guests on day one. Parliamentarians Achyuta Samanta and Sujeet Kumar, actor Arjun Rampal, film director Imtiaz Ali and motivational speaker Gauranga Das Prabhu are also taking part in the mela to encourage the budding entrepreneurs. The event will conclude on May 8.