KATHMANDU, JULY 3
The federal government has decided to honour seven women entrepreneurs with cash prize of Rs 100,000 and citation each on merit basis annually.
The honour has been named as President Women Entrepreneur Improvement Award. According to the President Women Entrepreneur Improvement Award Distribution Procedure, 2022 issued by the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizen last week. The award aims to encourage, honour and appreciate women entrepreneurs who have contributed to production and productivity growth by creating employment in agriculture, non-agriculture and tourism sectors.
The procedure said the MoWCSC would publish a 15- day public notice in a national daily, inviting applications from interested women entrepreneurs.
The notice should also be posted on its website. However, the application needs to be submitted to the Ministry of Social Development of the province concerned.
Women entrepreneurs with high moral character, having business operated in their own name for the past three years, providing employment to locals by utilising locally available resources and means and maintaining gender-friendly environment in the business will be eligible to apply for the award.
"The provincial ministry will form a recommendation committee for the selection of awardees in an impartial, transparent and accountable manner," the procedure reads. While making recommendation to the MoWCSC for the award, the provincial ministry should attach a copy of citizenship certificate, two copies of passport size photo and details related to industry/business being operated by the recommended women.
As per the procedure, the MoWCSC will announce the name of seven awardees out of the women recommended by the provincial ministry. The award will be provided to a woman entrepreneur only once.
"A women entrepreneur awarded once will not be included in the selection process again," the procedure says.
Earlier, the government had issued the 'Standard for Operation of Livelihood Improvement Programme' with a view to enhancing women's standard of living and empowering them through entrepreneurship development by ensuring judicious use of local resources. The standard approved by the Council of Ministers also aims to strengthen the capacity of organisations for improving income generation and livelihood of women by giving greater priority to indigent and single women in employment on the basis of their skills, capacity and qualification. As per the standard, women will be mainstreamed into national development through their empowerment under the President Women Upliftment Programme implemented by the MoWCSC.
The programmes under this standard would be operated in 55 districts that lag behind in Human Development Index.
They will mainly focus on agriculture and livestock, tourism and non-agriculture sectors in a bid to provide grants to women beneficiaries for establishment and operation of business by providing necessary training.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 4, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
