Tribal women entrepreneurs of Kondagaon district in Chhattisgarh were on Monday felicitated by the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) for their outstanding work in the field of food processing.
Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, the Minister of State for MSME, presented an award for manufacture of agricultural food products and promotion of women entrepreneurship.
The $5 Trillion Economy – Investment and Business Summit-cum-Awards programme was organized by the Ministry of MSME in New Delhi.
The consultant for the women SHG, Siddharth Pandey, received the award on behalf of the women group.
The women of tribal-dominated Kondagaon district have formed Udaan Mahila Kisan Producer Company, which manufactures and sells agricultural food products under the brand name ‘Kondanar’.
There are 10 Board of Directors in the company and more than 30 women self-help groups are involved. These groups manufacture over 30 food items including pickles, chutneys, milkshakes, cookies and coconut oil.
Kondagaon Collector Pushpendra Meena said that through this company, more than 200 tribal women have got regular employment and a minimum salary of Rs 7,500 per month.
The products of Kondagaon's Udan were also placed on the virtual platform of Dubai Expo. People from many countries showed interest in the products, Meena said.