FICCI FLO and Smriti Irani discuss Economic Empowerment for Women
FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), the women business wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) conducted a session with Smriti Irani, Minister of Textiles, moderated by Shefali Vasudeva, Editor, The Voice of Fashion, a digital magazine on fashion and design published by IMG-Reliance.
In this face to face rendezvous, the textile minister shared her personal experience describing her journey from television to Parliament. This was followed by a discussion on the handloom industry and the potential it offers for women’s employment. Lastly, the gathering also saw a detailed deliberation on the Union Government policies for women and if women were actually benefitting from them.
On the occasion, the Chairperson of FICCI, Monica Chaturvedi, reiterated the prominence of accelerating women’s participation in the process of economic and social development in Mumbai and widen the scope for women empowerment.
Chaturvedi, Chairperson of FICCI, said, “FLO (FICCI Ladies Organisation) is a facilitator for economic and social empowerment of women. Our Skilling programme focuses on employability of women while Swayam is a platform that helps women entrepreneurs to set up and scale up business. We have also initiated an education programme for young girls and their mothers on menstrual health and hygiene, this is a four-month programme certified by UNICEF.”
“This year, our aim is to bring Government, industry, NGOs and FLO to work together to create a larger impact through our current and upcoming initiatives. We are asking for a cell to be set up for women entrepreneurs along with Ministry of Industry, Maharashtra, and with FICCI, whereby women are made aware of the schemes available for them. We are working with dynamic women from Self Help Groups under MAVIM and expanding the scope of their activities by seeking partnership from corporates. We are aware that only if government bodies, corporates, NGOs and industry bodies like ours work together we can create a larger and long lasting impact on the society and economy.”
Chief Guest Smriti Irani discussed the significance of women in the textile industry and how there are campuses and factories dedicated only to women employees. She emphasised on women friendly policies such as Suraksha Bima Yojana where you can avail life insurance worth INR 2 lakhs by just investing 1 rupee a month for 10 years, the Pension Scheme requires an investment of INR 330 per year for a cover of 2 lakhs, while the Ayushman Bharat scheme provides protection from 1,300 diseases. Irani also called out the success of Mudra Yojna, where 70-80% loans have gone to women and whenever the Govt lends to women, 99% of women pay back.
FLO headquartered in New Delhi, has 15 chapters set up across India, representing over 6,000 women entrepreneurs and professionals. FICCI FLO’s Mumbai Chapter focused on finding solutions to further economic empowerment and equal opportunity for women.
