Market Linkage for Sustainable Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs (A Case Study ofSankalpWomen's Industrial Co-operative Promoted by BAIF, Pune)

Abstract

Women empowerment has been an area of thrust by the Government as well as non-Government agencies for a long time. Given its importance, it is not surprising that these agencies are exploring new avenues to achieve this. Conditions of women in general and particularly rural women require special attention. In rural areas, women are comparatively more at a disadvantage because of societal constraints. Economic freedom is one of the important ways to empower them; it has a multiplier effect and improves conditions in other spheres of life. Entrepreneurship is one of the sustainable ways to do so. Entrepreneurship and empowerment approach overlap in the sense that both concepts believe in taking initiatives by the beneficiaries themselves to come out of the disadvantageous position. So, promoting entrepreneurship among women would be a great tool to empower them. Among the entrepreneurial requirement, market linkage has been an important factor for its success. It has helped entrepreneurs to remain in the business. In India also, lack of market linkage has forced many producers to leave their occupation. Agriculture continues to play an important role in most non-industrial economies, and India is no exception. Any activity related with it would improve the condition of the poor in general and women in particular because a major chunk of rural women are engaged in it. This paper is about a cooperative namely “Sankalp Streewadi Aoudhogik Utpadak Sahakari Sanstha Ltd” comprising of 70 women entrepreneurs from different Self Help Groups of Haveli and Daund blocks of Pune district. Issues like institutional help provided by others, governance structure of the cooperative have been discussed.