Partners: Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India; The World Bank
The unravelling of the COVID-19 pandemic in India and the subsequent lockdown has adversely affected the economy, particularly micro and small enterprises. While micro and small businesses led by women are adapting to these shocks, disruptions in supply chains and poor access to finance and markets have had a disproportionate impact on them. At the same time, this pandemic has highlighted the pivotal role of rural microenterprises and women’s collectives in building local resilience and helping combat the crisis by producing essential equipment such as masks, PPE and sanitizers.
In response to these disruptions, LEAD at Krea University in collaboration with the World Bank and the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India organised a three-part webinar series to convene experts from diverse sectors.
The first part of the series focused on the coping strategies adopted by microenterprises to survive in the current context. It also highlighted emerging lessons from different states and sectors that can be translated into success stories for women-led microenterprises to pull through the ongoing crisis.
Speakers
Mary Kathryn Hollifield, Practice Manager, South Asia, Agriculture Global Practice, The World Bank
Nagendranath Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development
Sumita Ghose, Founder-Director, Rangasutra Crafts India
S Harikishore, Director, Kudumbashree, Government of Kerala
Raman Wadhwa, Deputy CEO, MP SRLM, Government of Madhya Pradesh
Sharon Buteau, Executive Director, LEAD at Krea University (Moderator)
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