Kathmandu, April 8

A delegation of the South Asian Women Development Forum (SAWDF) headed by its President, Pramila Acharya Rijal has paid a courtesy call to the newly elected Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal at the Prime Minister's Office in Baluwatar.

During the visit, SAWDF President Rijal briefed the prime minister about the First Women Entrepreneurs Green Industrial Park project, initiated by SAWDF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies and Panchkhal Municipality at Hokse, Panchkhal Municipality, Province 3. The park will be branded and promoted as a 'Agri-Tourism Green Industrial Park' with the goal of advancing Nepal's green industrial concept through well integrated climate change adaption strategies.

This innovative project will establish 50 small industries related to the agro-food sector as well as the tourism-focused service sector which is the first-of-its-kind in Nepal and the second in South Asia. This project is a replication of a successful project from the 'Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India' - SAWDF's official working counterpart in India, which has completed five successful women entrepreneurs' industrial parks on a public-private partnership model in Hyderabad, India.

Mahesh Kharel, mayor of Panchkhal Municipality, who was also present, informed that Panchkhal Municipality has allocated 100 ropanis of land on lease to the SAWDF for 25 years for this project.

He highlighted on the benefits of the project, with increased productivity for farmers, creation of high-quality processing infrastructure, an efficient supply chain system, with significant direct and indirect employment generation.

A memorandum was handed over to the prime minister strongly requesting him to support the Green Industrial Park by allocating a budget under the Special Programme for Women Entrepreneurs of the government of Nepal and urged the government to create a law in the form of the Women Entrepreneurs Green Industrial Park Act for establishing similar parks in six other provinces.

The memorandum stressed on the importance of women entrepreneurs' role in the national economy with a focus on implementing such projects which would create a conducive environment for micro, small and medium women entrepreneurs.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 9, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.