PAU CONCLUDES THREE-DAY CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMME FOR FARM WOMEN AT BOPARAI KALAN

Ludhiana, February 11, 2025: The All India Coordinated Research Project on Women in Agriculture (AICRP-WIA) at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) successfully concluded a three-day ‘Capacity Building Programme’ at village Boparai Kalan on January 4-6.

The event, under the leadership of Dr Kiran Bains, Dean, College of Community Science, saw the participation of 30 enthusiastic farm women and the presence of local dignitaries, including the village Sarpanch Mr Jagtinder Singh and Mr Gurpreet Singh, Secretary of the Cooperative Society.

Dr Shivani Rana, opened the programme by emphasizing the importance of capacity building as a means to empower farm women and boost agricultural productivity. The first day featured a hands-on training on "Millet based Recipes for Entrepreneurship" with Dr Renuka Aggarwal, Scientist, Department of Food and Nutrition discussing the nutritional benefits of millets and their potential for entrepreneurship. Dr Aggarwal encouraged women to focused on value addition, branding, and market strategies for sustainable business ventures. Mr. Simranjeet Singh, Manager of Punjab National Bank, also provided insights on sustainable business models and Government schemes supporting SHGs. The session was followed by a lecture cum discussion on "Entrepreneurship and Self-Help Group (SHG) Formation" by Dr Ritu Mittal Gupta, Unit Coordinator, AICRP-WIA, Department of Extension Education and Communication Management which highlighted how entrepreneurship and SHGs can drive economic growth in rural areas.

On the second day, Dr Prerna Kapila, Scientist in Apparel and Textile Science, conducted a training session on "Value Addition to Fabrics." The session covered creative techniques such as block printing and fabric painting, showing participants how they can enhance fabric aesthetics and create market-driven products for entrepreneurial success in the textile sector.

The third day began with Dr Prachi Bisht, Scientist in Human Development and Family Studies, delivering a lecture on various government schemes for women’s empowerment. She explained the financial assistance, educational, healthcare, and entrepreneurship initiatives available to women through government programs. The session concluded with a practical training on "Herbal Soap Making" by Dr Shivani Rana, Scientist, Department of Resource management and Consumer Science who taught participants how to produce handmade soaps, emphasizing the potential for small-scale production and income generation. She also discussed branding, packaging, and marketing strategies to turn soap-making into a viable business. Literature related to the training programme was also distributed on this occasion.

The participants expressed gratitude towards PAU scientists and the organizers, highlighting the programme's positive impact on their knowledge and skills. They also expressed eagerness to attend similar future training aimed at enhancing their livelihoods.