Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme held at Laishoi Village to empower rural women and youth

An Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme on “Empowering Rural Women and Youth With the MSME Ecosystem” was conducted at Laishoi Village Community Hall in Moirang, aiming to strengthen grassroots entrepreneurship and support ongoing initiatives of Eta Northeast womens Network in 11 relief camps and Laishoi Village.
The programme was organized by the MSME Technology Centre, Imphal, in collaboration with Eta Northeast Women’s Network. The initiative sought to reinforce entrepreneurial activities already launched by Eta among residents of Laishoi relief camp and Laishoi Village by linking beneficiaries with institutional support systems such as MSME, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Bishnupur and NABARD.
Founder and Chairperson of Eta Northeast Women’s Network, Sophia Rajkumari, delivered the keynote address, underscoring the importance of structured guidance, skill development and institutional handholding in transforming rural entrepreneurs into sustainable business owners. She said the programme was designed to deepen and strengthen existing entrepreneurial efforts rather than initiate new ones from scratch.
Biju Samom, trustee of Eta Northeast Women’s Network, delivered the welcome address and highlighted the organization’s continued engagement with communities to nurture entrepreneurial aspirations. He noted that collaboration with government institutions would help scale up these efforts and ensure long-term sustainability.
Dr. Sinam Yoirentomba, deputy director of MSME Technology Centre, Imphal, introduced participants to the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and motivation, describing micro, small and medium enterprises as the growth engine of the nation. He emphasized the need to shift mindsets from job seekers to job providers and outlined various MSME schemes available to support small enterprises.
Technical sessions were conducted by experts from KVK Bishnupur focusing on sector-specific opportunities for rural livelihoods. Dr. K.H. Brajamani Meetei, senior scientist and head of KVK Bishnupur, spoke on fisheries-based business prospects. Bandana Ningombam, subject matter specialist in home science, highlighted resource- and demand-based food processing enterprises, while Dr. Sakhen Sorokhaibam, subject matter specialist in agronomy, discussed agro-based business opportunities suited to rural communities.