About 50 per cent of the working population in the age group of
15-49 years in Jharkhand comprise of women. However, due to the low level of literacy and gender inequality, many of the women face discrimination at the workplace and inequalities of pay. The Girl Power project, funded by the European Union (EU), is being implemented by the All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG) along with its project partners- Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Rural Industrialization (MGIRI), Saunta Gaunta Foundation (SGF) and Magan Sanghralaya Samiti (MSS). The Girl Power project will support over 100 civil society organisations (CSOs) directly and indirectly, working on women rights in 10 districts of Jharkhand. These CSOs in turn will support the social and economic empowerment of 5,000 women. The initiative also aims to enable and empower 5,000 women to become entrepreneurs and establish their business in the social sector.
AIILSG and the EU, on September 10, 2020, launched the Girl Power project to further support capacity building of civil society organisations working in the area of women empowerment in Jharkhand.
Badal Patralekh, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Co-operative, Government of Jharkhand, launched the project and addressed the gathering in the presence of Chami Murmu, prominent social worker, Secretary of Sahyogi Mahila and State Head of Udyogini; Rajkumar, and Shilpa Mittal Singh, Joint Managing Director of Women on Wings. Murmu, a prominent social worker, received the Nari Shatki Puraskar award from President Ram Nath Kovind for her work on women empowerment in Jharkhand. The event was also graced by Shouvik Datta, Senior Programme Manager, Delegation of the EU to India, who thanked the Government of Jharkhand for their support to the Girl Power Project, and shared experiences of the EU in promoting women’s entrepreneurship. Rajiv Agarwal, Director General and Ravi Ranjan Guru, Deputy Director-General, AIILSG, welcomed the participants to the launch event. Representatives of project partner organisations, the MGIRI, MSS and SGF, also spoke on the occasion. A host of dignitaries from the European Union, AIILSG, Government of Jharkhand and CSOs also attended the event.
This project aims to create a network of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and women entrepreneurs, which will act as a support mechanism base for fostering rights and support to women in the state of Jharkhand. The Gender Network for Social Entrepreneurship Jharkhand (GNSE-J) has been established to promote multi-stakeholder participation in the state of Jharkhand. This network will also act as an overall advisory network to share best practices, knowledge sharing and problem-solving. CSO support is the fundamental part of this entire project. The GNSE-J is made up of an Advisory Committee including selected officials from the state government, elected legislators, CSOs, women entrepreneurs, academia and women and girls key stakeholders from Jharkhand.
The brief objective of the Market Connect is to provide a market platform to potential women entrepreneurs in the project areas. This will connect them with a ready marketplace for their business growth and expansion. To make the most effective use of social media with limited time and effort, a comprehensive media outreach strategy has been framed through various social media platforms. To keep the entire idea informed and for knowledge outreach with officials and stakeholders through the social media platforms, social pages are now live for Girl Power Project digital network building.
Finally, the Girl Power Project aims to bring about an overall improvement in the economic conditions of the women in Jharkhand, leading to the overall objectives of socio-economic development at state and
national levels.
