25 acre of land allocated by SIDCUL to promote women entrepreneurs
To promote industries, especially cottage industries, in the hill state and draw women into the sector, the State Infrastructure and Industries Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIDCUL) has allocated 25 acres land in Sitarganj phase-II in Udham Singh Nagar district. The government will also support women who are inclined to contribute to the development and proliferation of cottage industry in the state. Women entrepreneurs born in the state will be industrial plots in Sitarganj phase-II. Also, a specific percentage of jobs will be reserved for women in the units located in this industrial area.
This is being done to develop a business chain run solely by women. General manager of SIDCUL, S L Semwal, said, “In our state, the chief bread earner in a household is often women, specially in hill districts. From working in the fields to selling agricultural produce in the market, everything is managed by women. All we are trying to do is segregate such women workforce and provide them a platform so that during off-season, when they do not work in their fields, they can sell raw material grown by them to these cottage industries and at the same time hone their skills by working in the processing and packing of products in these industries.”
Semwal said the state government is trying to tap the hidden potential of Uttarakhand, which is its cottage industries governed by women. Such industries are have so far remained unorganized and these women did not have any platform to showcase their “industrial” skills, he added.
SIDUCL also intends to give various incentives to cottage industries so that they proliferate not just in Udham Singh Nagar but also in other districts, to provide livelihood options for women.
Uttarakhand had declared its MSME policy in January 2015 after corporate giants failed to fulfil their commitments to set up industries in the state. Following the new policy, micro and small enterprises have picked up in the state, according to officials of the industries department
