AWAKE - The Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka was founded in December 1983 and

is one of India’s premier institutions for women entrepreneurs totally devoted to the development of

entrepreneurship among women. AWAKE, an ISO 9001-2015 organization, is a not-for profit-NGO.

AWAKE's membership is made up of more than 3500 women entrepreneurs, who volunteer their time

to contribute to the functioning of the organization and furthering AWAKE’s mission of promoting

entrepreneurship amongst women. AWAKE members themselves facilitate and guide women who

want to start or grow their businesses – this entrepreneur-teaching-entrepreneur through a time-

tested module of Counselling-Training-Experience sharing-Peer group support has led to more than

10000 women starting micro, small and medium enterprises.

AWAKE’s Business counselling sessions on each and every Thursday, since 1983, is well-known and

draws more than 50 women each week – leading to an outreach of more than 130,000 women, who

are exposed to entrepreneurship as an alternative source of employment and towards financial self-

sufficiency.

AWAKE periodically conducts Entrepreneurship Development Programs, in every village and district of

the State of Karnataka, on its own and on behalf of the Government of Karnataka and India. Through

these Training programs, AWAKE has reached out to more than 1.5 million women.

AWAKE was the first organization to set up a Business Incubator in Food Processing, in 1988 that has

helped nurture many a small and medium enterprise.

In recognition of AWAKE’s work in promoting social and economic self-reliance and self-sufficiency

amongst women in rural areas of the state of Karnataka, India, AGFUND, the Arab Gulf Foundation for

United Nations Development Organization – presented the AGFUND Award to AWAKE, which consisted

of a Trophy and a cash prize of $100,000.

AWAKE is often called upon to provide national & international collaboration, be a resource

organization in institutional competence building, training, commercial & technology linkages. A

number of Asian, African, & Latin American delegates have made study visits to AWAKE.

An affiliate of Women’s World Banking, AWAKE has built up a strong support network with non-

governmental and governmental development agencies, working with them to provide the expertise

in entrepreneurship development.

ABOUT US

AWAKE - Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka

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Hello Friends, I take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Happy, Healthy and Productive New Year 2021. 2020 has been a year of challenges which has led to diversification and innovation by the MSME sector. Adversity has nudged us to work harder and create the uncreated, market the un-marketed. Let’s work together for a bright and prosperous Make in India.

Dr. Rajeswari R. President

PRESIDENT’s MESSAGE

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Entrepreneurship Development Program in Gadhag Dst, Karnataka – 1st to 10th Feb 2021

Entrepreneurship Development Program in Bangalore, Karnataka – 8th to 20th Feb 2021

One Day Workshop on Importance of Solar Energy Efficiency and Trending Solar based Food Processing Machines and GAP financing from SELCO Food Industries – 13th February 2021

AWAKE Members Monthly Meet - online on 16th February 2021

One Day Workshop Export and Import Scenario in Food Industries – 27th February 2021

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Photo of Food Packaging Design and Opportunities in Organic

Food Industry

Photo of Food Packaging Design and Opportunities in Organic

Food Industry

Photo of Analysis of Customer Needs and Trending Services,

Hygiene, Importance and Intervention of Technology and Innovation in Beauty, Spa and Wellness Industries

Photo of Analysis of Customer Needs and Trending Services,

Hygiene, Importance and Intervention of Technology and Innovation in Beauty, Spa and Wellness Industries

ESDP at Bidadi

EDP at Dharwad

PHOTO GALLERY

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AWAKE organized a one-day workshop on “Food Packaging Design and Opportunities in Organic Food

Industry” on 09th January 2021 at AWAKE, Bangalore. The workshop was conducted by Mr. Arun

Kumar - Trainer – Sales and Marketing and Mr. Yogish Appajaiah - Trainer – Organic Farming and

Organic Food Industry. The workshop was funded by GIZ, New Delhi.

39 - Members and Non-Members (Counselees and Trainees) of AWAKE and EC members attended

the workshop training.

Program started with a Welcome address by Ms. Priya Rajesh – Chairperson – Incubator, AWAKE.

The session was followed by an Open House – an opportunity for the participants to interact with the

resource person to gain more information.

The workshop concluded with the distribution of the participation certificates by Mr. Yogish Appajaiah

Dr. Rajeswari R – President and Ms. Bhuvaneshwari C - Treasure and GIZ Project Incharge AWAKE.

Vote of thanks by Ms. Mamatha N L – Chairperson – Skill Training AWAKE.

One Day Workshop Report On “Food Packaging Design and Opportunities in

Organic Food Industry”

ACTIVITIES

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AWAKE had organized a one day workshop for ” Idea Generation, Packaging Designing, Marketing,

AWAKE organized a one-day workshop on “Analysis of Customer Needs and Trending Services,

Hygiene, Importance and Intervention of Technology and Innovation in Beauty, Spa and Wellness

Industries” on 23rd January 2021 at AWAKE, Bangalore. The workshop was conducted by Mr. Yash –

Yash Salon and Ms. Jaya M – Entrepreneur/Trainer. The workshop was funded by GIZ, New Delhi.

25 - Members and Non-Members (Counselees and Trainees) of AWAKE and EC members attended

the workshop training.

Program started with a Welcome address by Ms. Bhuvaneshwari C - Treasure and GIZ Project Incharge

AWAKE.

The session was followed by an Open House – an opportunity for the participants to interact with the

resource person to gain more information.

A special Session was handled by Ms. Manu Shreenivasan – Mentor – GAME and Mr. Santanu – GAME.

He spoke about the GAME Project, what is GAME, how it works, what is mentoring program, how to

take a mentoring etc.

The workshop concluded with the distribution of the participation certificates by Ms. Jaya M and Dr.

Rajeswari R – President.

Vote of thanks by Ms. Pushpalatha – Chairperson – Counselling AWAKE.

One Day Workshop Report for “Analysis of Customer Needs and Trending

Services, Hygiene, Importance and Intervention of Technology and Innovation

in Beauty, Spa and Wellness Industries“

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Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP) is a programme meant to develop entrepreneurial

abilities among the people. In other words, it refers to inculcation, development, and polishing of

entrepreneurial skills into a person needed to establish and successfully run his / her enterprise. Thus,

the concept of entrepreneurship development programme involves equipping a person with the

required skills and knowledge needed for starting and running the enterprise.

AWAKE conducts Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP) for women and youth intending to start a business in urban and rural areas.

Entrepreneurship training is imparted through structured training module at the end of which the participant is expected to develop self-confidence and motivated enough to start an enterprise for their economic self-sustenance.

The program comprises of various modules delivered through interactive sessions with

experienced faculties. The methodology includes lecture session, group discussions and specifically designed location-specific business games and case studies.

AWAKE also organizes need based EDP in association with other developmental and donor

agencies. The duration of the training varies from ten days to six weeks depending needs of the trainees and the donor agencies.

The follow-up sessions for EDP trainees are conducted up to two years after the training to ensure

that the budding entrepreneurs get all the support required to establish their enterprise.

Entrepreneurship Development Programme

EDP at Dharwad: 20.01.2021 to 30.01.2021

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AWAKE conducts need-based Skill Development Programs for women in various sectors like food

processing, handicrafts, tailoring, embroidery, garments, artificial jewellery, trading, eco-friendly

products, candle making, chemical products, mushroom cultivation, herbal products, catering, motor

coil winding housekeeping, beautician training, many of the service industry related trainings etc.

During the programs, essential information related to raw materials, product processing,

development and designs, marketing the products, packaging and quality control are provided.

The programs are conducted for both urban and rural women and youth, considering the business

opportunities and market trend of the environment.

Entrepreneurship Development Programs combined with Skill Development Programs ensures

delivery of comprehensive training for prospective entrepreneurs to start their business. Regular

follow-ups are conducted to assess the additional training needs of the participants.

ESDP at Bidadi: 04.01.2021 to 06.01.2021

Entrepreneurship Skill Development Programme

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Karnataka Small Scale Industries Limited (KASSIA) has hailed the Union Budget 2021-22, announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and termed it as historic and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) friendly. It further said that the Union Budget 2021-22 has come like a shot in the arm for MSMEs, with the Finance Minister announcing various measures to help the beleaguered small industry, such as doubling the allocation for MSMEs to Rs 15,700 crore from last year, boosting domestic manufacturing of MSME products by increasing customs duty on certain items like steel screws, plastic ware, finished synthetic gemstones, prawn feed, and also rationalizing exemption on import of duty-free items as an incentive to exporters of garments, leather and handicraft items.

“We laud the FM for incorporating many suggestions made by industry bodies like KASSIA,” said K B Arasappa, President. “With the cut in margin requirement from 25 to 15 per cent, the budget will increase credit outflow under Standup India to SC/STs and women entrepreneurs. The setting up of 7 textile plug ‘n play textile parks near sea ports, airports, railways and dedicated freight corridors (DFC) will enhance exports, while the allocation of Rs 1.97lakh crore for production linked incentive (PLU) schemes covering 13

sectors will kick-start domestic manufacturing. The voluntary vehicle scrapping policy will give a push for the automobile industry, and the phased manufacturing plan for solar cells and solar panels will widen the scope for renewable energy,” he added. The industry body also expressed its happiness at the push for Bengaluru Metro Rail Phase 2 A and B and also in kick-starting the Bengaluru–Chennai expressway: of 278 km, which is set to take off with construction beginning this year. KASSIA also lauded the announcement to set up a “bad bank” modelled on the lines of an asset reconstruction company which will clear hurdles in lending to MSMEs, and also welcomed the changes to the definition for small companies under the Companies Act which will ease compliance burden. Further, the consolidation of securities laws and existing decriminalization of offences under the Companies Act marks an important move towards making Indian corporate legal framework simpler, business friendly and ultimately reduce compliance costs, it said. The extension of Employees' State Insurance (ESI) cover to all categories of workers and proposed amendment to Apprenticeship Act and allocation of Rs 3000 crore for realignment of existing National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) towards post-education apprenticeship, training of graduates and diploma holders in Engineering, are also commendable, it added.

Union Budget is historic and MSME-friendly: KASSIA

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Welcoming the extension of tax holidays and extension of capital gains tax exemption for start-ups by one year until March 2022, KASSIA expressed the hope that the special framework for MSMEs to be shortly unveiled by the FM will add to the feel-good vibe of the budget. Source: KNN India

Karnataka’s economy is thought to be contracting by 12 per cent, and the estimated gross state

domestic product (GSDP) is expected to be revised downward by about Rs 2 lakh crore ahead of the

2021-22 budget. Chief minister BS Yediyurappa, who holds the finance portfolio, has started

preparations for the budget that will be unveiled in March.

Officials in the finance department said that putting together new estimates in the wake of slowing

growth was a challenge.

The revenue estimate has already been changed from

Rs 1.7 lakh crore to Rs 1.1 lakh crore in the

supplementary budget tabled in the assembly, and

now, the GSDP is likely to be revised from Rs 18 lakh

crore to Rs 15.8 lakh crore. “The planning department

is working on the numbers. While GSDP is expected to

be decreased by 12 per cent, the estimated revenue will

be downgraded by about 35 per cent,” said a senior

finance official.

Officials are concerned that the trend will affect the

new budget. Home minister Basavaraj Bommai, who

represents Karnataka in the GST Council, had said earlier that with the state staring at a revenue

shortfall of Rs 50,000 crore, the 2021-22 budget outlay would be Rs 25,000 crore lower than the 2020-

21 outlay. The size of the last budget was Rs 2.3 lakh crore. In the case of a decreased outlay, most of

the funds will go to committed expenditure, which covers salaries, interest payment and other

unproductive heads, and the government will have little to spend on developmental or capital building

projects, an official said.

“The GSDP contraction is in line with the national trend. The fact to be noted is that the rate of

contraction has come down from 24 per cent, which was recorded in September when the Covid effect

was at its peak. The government should work hard to turn it positive further,” said Jyotsna Jha, the

director of the Centre for Budget and Policy Studies. The government, she added, should focus on

productive spending, while putting in efforts to cut down the committed expenditure without

disturbing jobs.

Karnataka Digital Economy Mission to create 10 lakh jobs in

IT sector across state

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The finance department is considering the option of additional borrowings to avoid cuts in the budget

outlay. The state is allowed to borrow 3 per cent of GSDP, but it may ask the central government to

relax the limit to 5 per cent. “It is an extraordinary situation and borrowing should not be seen as a

negative step. The fiscal consideration should be allowed for good reason,” Jha said.

Source: Jagran (English)

With only 2% of its villages yet to be covered by high-speed internet (3G and

above), Karnataka is among the best performing states as far as rural internet

connectivity goes. Nationally, 94% of villages have been covered by high-speed

internet, and 98% in Karnataka.

Among the 14 big states, Punjab, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Tamil Nadu

are placed better than Karnataka, while Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,

Delhi and Rajasthan, among others, are trailing, data from the ministry of communications and IT shows.

Nationally, of the 5.9 lakh census villages that are inhabited, 37,439 villages are yet to get high-speed

internet.

In Karnataka, 608 of the 27,397 villages are not connected.

Most villages are connected by telecom operators offering

3G and 4G connections, but India is working on connecting

at least 2.5 lakh gram panchayats (GPs) with optic fibre

under the Bharat-Net programme, which is under

implementation and not all GPs have been covered.

EV Ramana Reddy, additional chief secretary, department of

electronics, IT, BT and science and technology, Karnataka,

said: “While most villages today have internet through

connections availed from telecom companies, the Bharat-

Net programme in the state is being implemented by the e-

governance department.” Separate data accessed from the

ministry of communications and IT shows that of

the 2.5 lakh GPs targeted under Bharat-Net

nationally, only 1.5 lakh GPs have optic fibre.

Comparatively, 6,247 of the 6,268 targeted in

Karnataka already have optic fibre.

As reported by TOI earlier, the number of

internet connections in India breached the 75-

98% Karnataka villages have high-speed net

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crore mark in August 2020, some 25 years after the service was thrown open to the public on August

15, 1995.

Most connections are in urban areas and availed through wireless devices like mobile phones and

dongles. And, five states — Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana), Gujarat and

Maharashtra — account for 26 crore or 35% of all internet connections.

Most connections are in urban areas and availed through wireless devices like mobile phones and

dongles. And, five states — Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana), Gujarat and

Maharashtra — account for 26 crore or 35% of all internet connections.

Source: The Times of India

In the second edition of the NITI Aayog’s India

Innovation Index 2020, Maharashtra pipped

Tamil Nadu to the second spot. Telangana has

claimed the fourth place, with Kerala moving

up one notch to fifth slot.

Karnataka is the most innovative state for the

second year in a row, according to federal

policy think tank NITI Aayog’s India Innovation

Index 2020.

The index, launched last year, ranks states based on whether they provide a conducive environment for

registering new businesses, applying for patents, human capital, and investments, among other

measures.

In the second edition of the index, Maharashtra pipped Tamil Nadu to the second spot. Telangana has

claimed the fourth place, with Kerala moving up one notch to fifth slot, pushing Haryana to sixth place

in the list of 17 major states. Bihar was featured at the bottom of the list.

Himachal Pradesh topped the rankings of hill and North-East states, followed by Uttarakhand, Manipur

and Sikkim. Delhi remained the most innovative among small or city-states and Union territories,

followed by Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, and Puducherry.

“There is a very strong correlation between innovation and development. As states become more

innovative, their per-capita GDP (gross domestic product) rises," said Amit Kapoor, chairman of the

Institute for Competitiveness, a Gurugram-based organization that worked with NITI Aayog to develop

the index.

Karnataka most innovative state: NITI

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The India innovation index is modelled along the lines of the global

innovation index, which is brought out by the World Intellectual Property

Organization, but tracks fewer parameters. It aims to add more parameters

in the next report and sync it with the global index, said Rajiv Kumar, vice-

chairman, NITI Aayog. “The Prime Minister is very clear that it is innovation

and technology that will solve the immense challenges that India faces.

Trying to spur innovation at the state level is important," Kumar said.

NITI Aayog chief executive Amitabh Kant said by providing a thrust on

innovation, India can augment its manufacturing and export

competitiveness.

“We will continue to work in very close collaboration with science and technology teams across all the

states as well as the industrial and manufacturing teams across India. We will complement them as the

knowledge partner to make India an innovative nation," said Kant.

Source: Livemint

Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka

AWAKE

B – 76, KSSIDC Industrial Estate,

Rajajinagar, Bangalore – 560 010

Tel : 080- 23111059/23385874

Fax: 080-23389964

Email ID - admin@awakeindia.org.in

Web: www.awakeindia.org.in

CONTACT US

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