Two women entrepreneurs who bagged the Best Entrepreneur Jharkhand State Award last year would be felicitated as the Best Women Entrepreneur for small scale industries from eastern region at National level for 2012 on April 3 by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Kavita Yadav, the owner of The Padosan Masala (spices) from Ranchi and Silk weaver Rita Munda from Muri would also be getting this prestigious award.

It was in 2009, Kavita showed gumption in starting her enterprise with a bank loan of Rs15 lakh under Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). Initially, she gave employment to two women and now 45 women are employed in this spice production organisation. In 2010-11 she was given a State level award by then Chief Minister Arjun Munda for running a spice company and providing employment opportunities to the local women.

39-year-old Kavita belonged to a Below Poverty level Family and had begun her career as a Hindi and Sanskrit teacher at St Collin’s School at Kathal More (Ratu) near Ranchi which belonged to local businessman Arpan Yadav. It was during this teaching life they got married in 1999. Those days running this school was the only source of income for this family. later, the school was closed and in 2006 Arpan opened Padosan restaurant at Kathal More itself wherein Kavita took over the management and marketing responsibility of the restaurant. It was here her interest for spice making developed.

She is a mother of three school-going daughters and holds a graduate degree in accounts from Marwari College. Kavita is supposed to reach the New Delhi office of Khadi and Village Industries Commission by April 1 and would have to undergo the full dress rehearsal organised by the ministry on April 2. She is leaving for the nation capital today along with her husband.

Talking to The Pioneer, Kavita said, “My family is the backbone behind this achievement. I seek to establish Padosan Masala a popular spice brand of Jharkhand.”