In what is seen as a booster for women empowerment in the informal sector, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Shri Mahila Sewa Sahakari Bank Limited, have decided to jointly support the latter in providing skills and creating access to finance for women from these sectors.

For the project 'Kaushalaya' by Shri Mahila Sewa Sahakari Bank, promoted by Self-Employed Women's Associaton (SEWA), NSDC has agreed to provide Rs 31.80 crores as loan and Rs 7.96 crore as grant. The objective of the project is to provide skills training to 1.37 lakh informal economy women workers in 8 priority sectors, over the next decade in Gujarat and creating access to finance for more than 96,000 informal economy women workers to procure skills and invest in livelihood.

The skills training will be provided in the sectors including building and construction, handlooms and handicrafts, food processing, agriculture and related trades, salt making, financial management and business counselling, housekeeping and paper products manufacturing.

Dilip Chenoy, MD & CEO, NSDC, said, "NSDC and SEWA’s collaboration is a big move to encourage more women to become entrepreneurs and add to their family income, earn their livelihood and make them independent."

Renana Jhabvala, Director- Shri Mahila Sewa Sahakari Bank Limited, said, "The importance of skills in the informal sector is as significant as it is in the formal. More than 50 per cent of our population is in self-employment and unfortunately most of them are in the lower strata of society. This MoU emphasises on the importance of skill in self-employment and how skill training within this section of society can contribute to higher income of the individual and increased entrepreneurial opportunities."

"In this attempt, we have tied up with NSDC to create a new model of self -employment and we are certain this collaboration will benefit many," said Jhabvala.

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