KATHMANDU, JUNE 12
The President of South Asian Women Development Forum (SAWDF) Pramila Rijal emphasised the importance of women entrepreneurs' role in the national economy.
Expressing gratitude to the government for renaming the ongoing Industrial Village into the Women Industrial Park in Kavre, she said that though the government has started Special Economic Zone and Industrial Village programmes, there is no provision for Women Entrepreneurs Green Industrial Park programmes. Rijal urged the Nepal government to formulate a law in the form of the Women Entrepreneurs Green Industrial Park Act for establishing similar parks in six other provinces. She emphasised the importance of women entrepreneurs' role in the national economy, with a focus on implementing such projects that would create a conducive environment for micro, small, and medium-sized women entrepreneurs.
Sharada Rijal, chairperson of Women Entrepreneurs Green Industrial Park (WEGrIP) Committee, delivered a presentation of the ongoing WEGrIP project - a PPP model in partnership with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies and the local government-Panchkhal Municipality at Hokse, Panchkhal Municipality, Province 3.
The park will be branded and promoted as an '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.
Mayor of Panchkhal Municipality Mahesh Kharel shared his insights on how this initiative can contribute to the advancement of women entrepreneurship and support economic growth in Panchkhal.
He emphasised the numerous benefits of the project, such as increased productivity for farmers, the establishment of high-quality processing infrastructure, an efficient supply chain system, and substantial direct and indirect employment generation through the utilisation of locally available raw materials and resources.
Senior Vice-President of SAWDF and Member of Parliament, Province 3, Yankila Sherpa addressed the significance of the media's role in promoting Nepal's first Women Entrepreneurs Green Industrial Park.
She also assured she would lobby with the government and amplify the voices of women ensuring their needs are addressed.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 13, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.