Mumbai: The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has introduced its flagship initiative, ‘Faral Sakhi,’ to support women entrepreneurs in Mira Bhayandar, Maharashtra. This programme aims to empower women engaged in traditional snack production by providing comprehensive training and resources to scale their ventures sustainably. Launched in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) of NITI Aayog, ‘Faral Sakhi’ is part of WEP’s Award to Reward initiative.

WEP, established by NITI Aayog in 2018 as an aggregator platform, transitioned into a public-private partnership in 2022. It supports women entrepreneurs by addressing information gaps and offering assistance in areas such as finance, market linkages, training, mentoring, compliance, and business development.

The ‘Faral Sakhi’ initiative focuses on creating sustainable employment opportunities by engaging women in the production and sale of traditional festive snacks, or ‘Faral.’ MBMC has established a central kitchen where women from self-help groups (SHGs) can produce these snacks professionally. The corporation further supports these women by providing sales spaces and promoting their products through municipal advertising. During Diwali, the initiative achieved notable success, with over 3 tonnes of snacks sold due to their quality and taste.

As part of the programme, 25 women from Mira Bhayandar will receive technical training in business operations through the Centre for Education, Governance, and Public Policy (CEGP Foundation). This training will equip them with the skills needed to establish sustainable businesses and contribute to the local economy.

WEP serves as a collaborative forum for stakeholders across government, business, philanthropy, and civil society, facilitating scalable and sustainable initiatives for women entrepreneurs. Under its Award to Reward programme, launched in 2023, WEP provides a framework for developing impactful projects, meeting the specific needs of women entrepreneurs, and recognising their achievements. Through this collaboration with MBMC, WEP aims to help women entrepreneurs in Mira Bhayandar thrive in domestic markets and expand internationally. The initiative also benefits from financial support provided by WEP partner Appreciate.

"Supporting women entrepreneurs is vital to achieve women-led development. WEP provides comprehensive support to women entrepreneurs right from training, skilling, access to resources, mentors, and networks. WEP works on the three guiding principles to empower women and enable them to achieve self-reliance: Iccha Shakti (power of motivation to start & scale business), Gyaan Shakti (power of knowledge to overcome information asymmetry), and Karma Shakti (power of action through handholding & support). By integrating the ‘Faral Sakhi’ initiative into the ‘Award to Reward’ programme, we are fostering the growth of women-led home industries, enabling them to transition into large-scale enterprises. This initiative is not only about creating businesses but also about inspiring societal transformation,” said Anna Roy, Principal Economic Adviser, NITI Aayog and Mission Director, WEP.

“The ‘Faral Sakhi’ initiative represents a significant step toward the holistic development of women entrepreneurs. Through this partnership with WEP, we are preparing the women of Mira Bhayandar to lead sustainable industries and inspire future generations,” said Sanjay Katkar, Municipal Commissioner, Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation.

BI Bureau