JKRLM inks pact with Meesho to empower rural women in J&K

Jammu, Nov 18 (KNN) The Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (Umeed) has joined hands with Meesho to support 1800 Self Help Groups (SHGs) by providing them an online platform to launch and grow their businesses.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Raj Bhavan on Thursday.

The partnership of Rural Livelihoods Mission and e-commerce giant Meesho will help in making niche products of J&K available to the wider customer base, providing SHGs global market to grow their business.

Addressing the occasion, LG Sinha said, the partnership would help build lives and livelihood for rural communities and provide greater access to economic activities and financial independence to rural women entrepreneurs.

“Digital inclusion will help them become self-employed entrepreneurs and fulfil their aspirations of achieving financial independence,” he said. JKRLM Umeed and Meesho have already identified products created by these SHGs that can be sold on the online platform, such as Chabhari and Bina grass items, papier-mâché, essential oils, woolens and crewel embroidered products, made across J&K.

Sinha pointed out that JKRLM Umeed on its part will provide all necessary support to boost the digitisation of these women entrepreneurs through access to the internet and financial services.

The LG said that the partnership would also provide an opportunity to both JKRLM and Meesho to scale up rural enterprises from grassroots to large scale and bring the change in rural women’s lives.

Co-founder and CTO, Meesho, Sanjeev Barnwal, said, “We are privileged to work with Umeed-JKRLM and the J&K government to further our mission of democratising e-commerce. Women entrepreneurs are a key growth engine of India’s economy and Meesho has empowered lakhs of them to succeed in the online world. Through this partnership, we hope to amplify our efforts in that direction and enable these SHGs from J&K realise their full potential. We will provide them with all the tools and guidance they need to grow their business online with Meesho.”

A short film on livelihood generation initiatives of JKRLM was also showcased on the occasion.

Additional Mission Director, J&K Rural Livelihoods Mission, Jammu Mridhu Slathia and Head of the Public Policy and Government Affairs of Meesho Prachi Bhuchar were amongst those present at the MoU signing ceremony.  (KNN Bureau)