Women entrepreneurs from Manipur takes a step forward to digitalization

Guwahati: Women traders in Manipur are now being taught how to market their products digitally. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh was the Chief Guest at the inaugural session of the "Capacity Building Training Programme for Women Traders of 3 Ima Keithel," which was held yesterday at the Sangai Conference Hall of Hotel Imphal.

The training was organised by the National Commission for Women in collaboration with the Manipur State Commission for Women. Knowledge of relevant Banking Schemes and how to use online banking, Knowledge of Tax Laws / New GST Laws and Tax Compliances, and E-Commerce Demonstration were all part of the training programme.

Speaking on the occasion, Manipur CM N. Biren Singh stated that women in Manipur have always been at the forefront of many causes in the state for many years and have played an admirable role in its development.

He went on to say that many women are currently holding important positions in State Government Institutions and participating in State administration. Continuing that Manipur's women had already been empowered, he stated that the time had come for women to take the lead in development efforts. The Chief Minister emphasised the importance of women vendors being aware of the digital world in order to keep up with the flow of development, citing their contribution to the rural economy. He went on to say that the capacity-building training programme would assist them in making better use of mobile technology in marketing their products and moving toward cashless transactions.

He added that the training programme would also help women vendors gain access to banking services and take advantage of various government programmes because the majority of them already had bank account. Shri N. Biren stated that the State Government has already built 7 Ima Markets and that many more are being built with the goal of empowering women and contributing more to economic development.

He also stated that women's markets would be built in the State's remaining new districts. Maintaining that the government never discriminates against communities based on their populations, he stated that the state government is planning to build a market in the Lamphel area to accommodate all tribal communities. He added that different market sheds would be provided for each community. The Chief Minister urged the women vendors to attend the training session seriously so that they could pass on their knowledge and information to their fellow vendors who were unable to attend.

During his speech, Social Welfare Minister Shri Heikham Dingo stated that Ima Market in Manipur is well known throughout the world due to its unique features. He emphasised the importance of being well-aware and informed about the digital world in order to keep up with technological changes. He urged the female vendors to take the training seriously so that they could reap the benefits of technology, which is critical to the growth of the three Ima markets. He also sought the participation of all female vendors in the State Government's development efforts to make the state more progressive.

Smt. Rekha Sharma, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, thanked the Manipur State Commission for Women for their assistance in organizing the training programme and stated that she could see women of Manipur participating in every activity carried out in the State.

Women had already been empowered, so the need of the hour is women-led empowerment, in which women show others the path to development. She went on to say that women vendors in the state should be aware of e-marketing in order to sell their products and that their market should not be limited to the state but should reach customers all over the world. Rekha Sharma stated that the training programme would also teach participants about e-commerce and how to obtain bank loans through various Central and State Government MSME schemes.

She hoped that the trained women would serve as torchbearers for others, as well as raise awareness of digital technology among other women. She also stated that training programmes for women vendors in hill areas would be held. Smt. Thumlip Tiningpham Monsang, Chairperson, Manipur State Commission for Women (MSCW), Members (MSCW) Smt. Lourembam Dayabati Devi and Smt. T. Chuongsin Koireng, Director, Social Welfare Department, Ngangom Uttam, officials from the Social Welfare Department, and women vendors from three Ima markets also attended the event.