The Department of Extension Education and Communication Management, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), organized an exposure visit for the aspiring women self-help groups in Ludhiana. Around 25 women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) across four villages namely Akalgarh, Halwara, Jandiali, and Boparai participated in this visit. These women have been managing their SHGs for the past two years and now aim to establish their own enterprises.
Firstly, as part of the visit, participants interacted with successful entrepreneur from ‘Raj’ self-help group led by Mrs Amanpreet Kaur. She shared her experiences and provided the hands-on experience on making products such as homemade soaps and herbal hair oil. This exposure visit was highly motivating and informative for the visiting women.
Second visit was to the ‘Arooz’ self-help group led by Mrs Rajini. She has been involved in the preservation of various fruits and vegetables. She provided practical guidance on the basics of starting a business and demonstrated the machinery used for making and labelingher products including juices, squashes, pickles and murabbas, etc. This hands-on exposure motivated the visiting women to consider launching their own small-scale enterprises using the insights and tips provided.
The visit was facilitated by Dr Mandeep Sharma and Dr Manjot Kaur who encouraged the participants toward exploring entrepreneurship as a sustainable livelihood option. This visit was conducted under the guidance of Dr Ritu Mittal Gupta, Head, Department of Extension Education and Communication Management. She stated that this kind of visits would serve as a valuable learning opportunity for rural women with limited formal education but strong enthusiasm to build their own enterprises.