Capacity building for women in trade

NEW DELHI: After focusing on star trading houses and super star trading houses for decades, the government has decided to pay attention to the role of poor women in trade.

A beginning in this direction is being made with a national consultation on ‘Poor Women in Trade’ which will be inaugurated here by Jairam Ramesh, minister of state for commerce, on Monday.

Responding to the global changes taking place in poverty reduction initiatives and women empowerment, the government is initiating several measures jointly with other community-based organisations, according to a statement issued by the commerce department here on Sunday.

Representatives of grassroot producer women’s organisations from across the country will discuss issues in policy, implementation framework, infrastructure requirements and capacity building at the national consultation. They will share their experiences and expectations with top professionals having global experience and policy level exposure.

The statement said participants in the meet include Reema Nanavaty of Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA); and Ms Renuka Vishwanathan, secretary in the department of rural development. The national consultation is jointly organised by the ministry of commerce & industry and SEWA, with support from the World Bank.