KATHMANDU, Feb 12: A group of women entrepreneurs on Saturday held a meeting with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to demand establishment of Women Industrial Parks to foster women's entrepreneurship in Nepal.
The delegation included President of South Asian Women Development Forum (SAWDF) Pramila Acharya Rijal, Senior Vice President of Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Associations of Nepal Shova Gyawali, Chairperson of Women Entrepreneurs Committee, FNCCI, Reeta Simha, Convener of Women Entrepreneur Forum, CNI, Chhaya Sharma and Chairperson ofWomen Entrepreneurs Green Industrial Park CommitteeSharada Rijal.
Gandaki Province to establish 11 industrial villages
SAWDF President Pramila Acharya Rijal handed over a joint memorandum to the Prime Minister Deuba, who also holds the the portfolio of Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, with the common goal of fostering women's entrepreneurship by establishing Women Industrial Parks in Nepal, according to a press statement issued by the delegation team.
The Nepal government has made a provision for industrial villages in all 77 districts of Nepal but the government of Nepal has not declared any Industrial parks exclusively for Women entrepreneurs under the Procedure for Declaration and Operation of Industrial Village, 2075 Section 8.1 which states that “The Government of Nepal may declare women entrepreneurs as special industrial villages in accordance with the provisions of this procedure in order to attract and encourage them to enter the industry.”
The SAWDF in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies and Panchkhal Municipality has initiated the First Women Entrepreneurs Green Industrial Park project to promote green industrial concept in Nepal with well-integrated climate change adaptation measures. The park in Kavre will be promoted as Agri-Tourism Green Industrial Park with the establishment of 50-60 small industries. The master plan and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the project has been completed. The project contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) locally and to Nepal’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), according to the statement.
All high-ranking delegates representing women entrepreneurs’ associations/councils and committees requested the government of Nepal to declare the ongoing first women/green industrial park and one green woman entrepreneurial industrial park in all the six provinces under the Procedure for Declaration and Operation of Industrial Village. "The delegation strongly voiced their unity on the implementation of a special program to establish these Women Green Industrial Parks in Nepal," said the statement.
