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Temsusenla Kichu (extreme right) with Jesmina Zeliang (centre) and Karen Yepthomi posing with their awards at the Vasundhara award ceremony in Delhi on April 26. (EM Images)[/caption]
Dimapur, April 27 (EMN): Three Naga women entrepreneurs namely have been conferred the ‘Vasundhara North East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year’ award on April 26 in Delhi.
The three awardees are Temsusenla Kichu, Karen Yepthomi, and Jesmina Zeliang.
The first IPS officer from the Northeast, Inspector General of Police Robin Hibu, from Arunachal Pradesh, was the chief guest of the event.
Karen Yepthomi of Dzukou Kitchen bagged the ‘Vasundhara Women Entrepreneur Award for 2015-16,’ while Temsusenla Kichu of the Fusion Store was conferred the ‘Vasundhara Women Entrepreneur Award for 2016-17.’ Apart from the 17 award recipients from the Northeast, five successful women entrepreneurs from the NE region were inducted into the Vasundhara Hall of Fame. Jesmina Zeliang from Nagaland, who promoted handicraft items from the Northeast at international markets, was named for the ‘Vasundhara Hall of Fame.’
“Vasundhara-NE Woman Entrepreneur of the year” is a programme to identify, highlight and encourage woman entrepreneurs of NE region initiated by Sreemanta Sankar Mission of Guwahati, a charity organisation set up in 1986 to identify, highlight and recognise the exceptional talent of the hardworking woman entrepreneurs of Northeast. Sreemanta Sankar Mission is the brainchild of its general secretary Asomee Dutta Baruah.
The award carries a citation, a shawl, and a cash award of INR 25,000.
Besides the winners, seven other top notch women entrepreneurs from each of the seven states (apart from the winning state) are invited and felicitated each year. The winners are selected by a panel of eminent jurists comprising of officials of top government institutes working in the field of finance, banking, industry and allied fields.
An elated recipient of ‘Vasundhara Women Entrepreneur Award for 2016-17’ Kichu said, “since the moment I was informed of my nomination for the award, I started the plans to showcase all the 12 brands of Fusion under the banner Fusion and Exotic Echo at the two-day Vasundhara Northeast Women Entrepreneur Award Conclave in New Delhi’. The moment I landed in Delhi, all the state awardees had a story of their own inspiring each other...from coffee makers, bakers, handlooms, designers, home stay runners to name a few’.
“I accept this award as an achievement for the entire team that has made a mark in making people loved the products. An achievement which needed a celebration and did happened at the right time. This award will boost all of us especially in delivering the best for the days to come.”
The event, she said, was to tell about unsung heroes who have excelled in their entrepreneurial journey. She felt that the state government should give a push and support more enterprising women entrepreneurs to be able to contribute with the economic sustainability of the state.
“It is just the beginning. We have the best creative minds and ideas. Let us all put our efforts in delivering the best,” opined Kichu.
During the conclave, Kichu observed that Imphal women were the most enterprising. She said the next conclave will be held in Manipur. “Proper marketing, branding and customer service is the key to success,” articulated Kichu.
