Stories of Success and Struggle

Womenfolk break stereotypes, excel in entrepreneurship in Kashmir  

Breaking all the barriers to opt the path of entrepreneurship Kashmiri women are seen in competing men side by side. The participation of women in establishing their own ventures, entrepreneurship in Kashmir has not remained now confined to men only but women are also showing great interest in setting up their own ventures. Not only to compete men, but to prove themselves as more confident and successful entrepreneurs’ women flock had come on front.  

 From last many years women from urban areas were seen in establishing their own business outfits which had now spread over to rural areas also.

To become self-reliant, women should do something like that, no matter what people think about them, urges Aafreen, who owns a beauty parlor at Awantipora. She says, People have different perspectives regarding her work, “but I love my profession as beauty parlor is the only business where there is no touch with males.”

 Aafreen after passing her higher secondary exams thought of doing something to support her father who is working in a private sector and has four siblings excluding her. As an elder at home, “I decided to give up my studies to provide helping hand to my father, my mind was struck with an idea to setup a beauty parlor,” adds Aafreen.

After managing to visit Delhi for a course in particular field, Aafreen did what she focused on. Expressing her satisfaction, Aafreen says she is earning enough amount of money from this business. She had taken financial assistance from J&K Bank and had cleared all the loans she had taken. She uses to make some savings now from her earnings for her four sisters and rest to expand her business.

It is easy to setup the business as a woman entrepreneur in urban areas but more difficult to do so in rural areas says, Mysara, who along with her four sisters are doing the business of sewing clothes from four years. She finds it tough to work in rural areas because of passing comments from people, but it is proud moment that girls on highest pace are showing their interests in starting their own ventures to feel self-reliant. To setup the business she got complete support from her family.

“I am proud of my daughters who are focusing on their own business rather working for other entrepreneurs,” Mysara’s Mother, Naseema says.

To assist women entrepreneurs both government and nongovernment organizations have come on front with various schemes. Not all but most of the women from rural areas are taking financial assistance from these government and other nongovernment schemes.

 Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) funded by state and central government plays substantial part in assisting the women entrepreneurs of Kashmir both financially and technically.

JKEDI provides free training and seed capital scheme for eligible aspirants to assist them for starting their own ventures. Ishfaq Ahmad Mir, Executive Assistant to Director at JKEDI encouraged, those females who are taking active part in applying for different schemes to become future entrepreneurs.

He says, as per JKEDI surveys women are seen more serious in taking care of their businesses. Adding further he says, JKEDI witnesses more successful stories of women entrepreneurs especially from rural areas. 

Welcoming the aspirants, Mir adds JKEDI is meant for youth who should come forward to do something for themselves and state as well, it would be ‘proud moment for us if there will be more participation of women that too from rural areas’, who want to become owners of their own.

Sadiya, who availed the financial assistance from JKEDI to setup a boutique in the vicinity of her village. Conveying her journey, she says, after completing the bachelors she found no way to support her widow mother but to take financial backing from anywhere. It was her friend who suggested her to apply for JKEDI financial assistance scheme, she adds. 

“It was fortunate for me to get the assistance from JKEDI to setup my own venture,” Says Sadiya. Feeling herself proud in promoting her own business and providing back support for her widow mother, she urges other females to come forward to do something for their betterment by setting up their own business establishments especially in rural areas. 

However those women who own their own ventures are not only going forward for themselves but also became inspiration for others too. Humaira, commerce student while sharing her wishes to see herself as a successful entrepreneur. She says, looking at the young women entrepreneurs who are competing men side by side inspired her to be a business owner.

When asked about the government job she responds, rather to be a government employee, ‘i want to be a successful owner of my own enterprise’. Adding further she says, “Soon I will complete my studies i would have my own business which I have already convinced to my family for which they also agreed.”

Every year hundreds of women were trained through different institutes to make them competent and confident to run their own ventures. Himayat is one of them which aim to produce highly trained candidates, funded by central government under Ministry of Rural Development.

Basharat Yaqoob retail trainer at Himayat centre says lots of dropout candidates are trained at different Himayat centres situated at different regions and far flung areas of the valley to provide them employment opportunity. “Besides employment proud moment is it that many of our pass outs start their own businesses to work independently,” adds Basharat.

Ruqaya, who has worked as SAPD trainer in many districts with Himayat, says many of her female students from different districts had started their own ventures and are seen successful.

To see more participation of women in starting their own establishments both from rural as well as urban areas various steps were taken mutually by government and private organizations.

Handicraft department sponsors a scheme under Artisan Credit Card (ACC) through Jammu and Kashmir Bank (J&K Bank) for women who are mainly from rural areas. This scheme supports them to set up any common working unit of rural areas like Boutique, tailoring.

Parvez Ahmad, Branch Manager at J&K Bank Khanda says J&K Bank provides cash credit facilities for those women who are already running their business units. For freshers who want to start new business project, he says there are several schemes sponsored by government and private organizations with the aim to increase women entrepreneurship in rural areas.