In celebration of International Women's Day 2024, which carries the theme 'Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’, let's travel to Odisha where many women entrepreneurs are shaping their business journeys and contributing to the economic and social progress of the state.
One such inspiring story is of Amrita from Koraput, Odisha who faced early marriage after completing school, putting her dreams of further education on hold. Undeterred, she joined a small computer institute to acquire basic skills, aspiring to start her own e-services shop. However, obstacles arose due to a lack of support and information on business setup. 
When Amrita became a part of the Swakalpa initiative, she received valuable training and mentorship on skills required to start and run a business. With the support of her mentors, Amrita opened a shop named Dev Xerox. Swakalpa played a crucial role in helping her create a business plan and secure a loan of INR 2 Lakh from the State Bank of India.
Today, Amrita's success extends beyond personal fulfillment, positively impacting her family with an additional income which is helping her son's dream of joining IIT.
Another entrepreneur from Balangir, Odisha, Reetanjali is a single mother determined not to be a burden on her parents. She ventured into the world of makeup artistry to support her daughter’s education. Despite facing financial challenges and even selling her ornaments, her home-based beauty parlor struggled to generate sufficient earnings, pushing her to the brink of despair.
Swakalpa entered Reetanjali's life as a beacon of hope. Enrolling in the program, she completed her training and secured a coveted six-month mentorship. She expanded her beauty business by renting a shop. She received end to end guidance from Swakalpa mentors in Udyam Registration, branding, catalog creation, and social media marketing.
Today, Reetanjali not only sustains her business but dreams bigger. She has employed one woman and plans to extend her support to more struggling women, exemplifying the transformative ripple effect of empowerment.
The Swakalpa initiative is empowering many aspiring women like Amrita and Reetanjali who have passion to start their entrepreneurial journey but lack support. This is a self-employment and entrepreneurship development program by the Odisha Skill Development Authority in collaboration with the World Skills Center and Asian Development Bank, with Palladium India as the implementation partner. The program aims to equip 10,000 ambitious youth with the necessary skills and knowledge on self-employment and entrepreneurship and establish at least 1,000 micro-businesses in the state of Odisha. So far, Swakalpa has covered 27 districts and enrolled over 8,800 candidates with over 6,300 women. The program has onboarded 753 mentees and has successfully set up more than 200 businesses.
Palladium is mentoring each of these women, understanding the challenges and addressing the gaps, to facilitate these women to drive businesses. Through the handholding support, Palladium has ensured that an ecosystem is developed to support these women entrepreneurs in scaling up their businesses.
“Amrita and Reetanjali are just a few of the many women who have been empowered through Swakalpa. While the Swakalpa initiative started with an aim to ensure at least 25% representation from women, it now boasts of an impressive 72% women participation portraying how women are leading the way in establishing micro-enterprises. We have been able to achieve this through not just skill development, but extensive focus on mentorship, access to finance, markets and equal opportunities, even going to the extent of convincing the families of these women, which has ultimately resulted in sustained increase in economic activity and overall economic growth,” says Sandeep Lanjewar, Director, Palladium India.
"The theme for International Women's Day this year is ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’ and Amrita’s journey is an example of how investing in women can empower them to reach their full potential. At Palladium, we are committed to actively weaving gender equity and diversity into the fabric of our projects. We understand that by investing in women's potential, we are not only fostering individual empowerment but also contributing to the broader tapestry of a more prosperous and equitable future for all,” says Amit Patjoshi, CEO, Palladium India.
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