Mysore/Mysuru: To commemorate the International Women’s Day, Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement (GRAAM), in association with Wuerth Elektronik India Pvt. Ltd. presented the ‘Mysuru Mahila Ratna Puraskar’ to six women achievers to recognise their contribution in their respective fields on Mar.15.

The Mysuru women achievers, who received the ‘Mysuru Mahila Ratna Puraskar’ included P. Bhramarambha Maheshwari (Veda and Sanskruthi), first women priest of the country and Founder of Ishavyasa Veda Nada Kendra, Mysuru; K. Sangeetha (Educationist), Art teacher, Government High School, G.B. Sargur; Rachana Mahesh (Education), Managing Director – Edukare ITES; M.S. Savitha Mallappa (Entrepreneurship), CEO at rProcess, Mysuru; M.N. Sumana (Social Worker), Activist and Advocate, Shakthidhama Women Rehabilitation Centre and  M. Veena (sports), Kreeda  Ratna Award Winners for “Kho Kho”, International Kho Kho player.

On the occasion, the women achievers, along with chief guest Karnataka State Cooperative Credit Societies Federation Ltd. (KSCCF) President K. Lalitha G.T. Devegowda, GRAAM’s Executive Director Dr. Basavaraju R. Shreshtha and Wuerth Elektronik India Pvt. Ltd’s Managing Director Harsha Adya launched the ‘We Mill’ products.

After receiving the  Puraskar, Rachana Mahesh shared her experience and called upon women to not to give up but achieve their goal with courage, tolerance and determination.

Sumana appreciated the initiative taken by We Mill women entrepreneurs and urged the women to unite and raise their voice for this cause.

In his introductory speech, Dr. Basavaraju Shreshta said, “The country is now talking about Start-Up India, Stand-Up India, Atmanirbhar Bharat and five trillion economy to accelerate the Indian economy. However, the growth aspects of the new millennium have left behind the rural population. We need an inclusive model to take rural India beyond financial growth, towards rural wealth creation that includes human and social capital.”

Calling upon NGOs to support women in their initiatives, Lalitha Devegowda said, “It is indeed inspiring to see women from Bilikere are now the proud owners of We Mill.”

Harsha Adya advised We Mill women entrepreneurs to maintain consistency in the quality of the products.

Dr. B.V. Sathyendra Rao, Chief Scientist, Technology Transfer & Business Development, CSIR-CFTRI, explained in detail the technology used to develop We Mill products. Dr. Usha Dharmaraj, Senior Technical Officer, Department of Grain Sciences and Technology, CSIR-CFTRI, was present.

The products launched at the event included Ragi Mudde (a 5-minute Mudde premix), Ragi ‘Malt n Shake,’ Shishuposhan (Stages I, II and III), Premium Ragi Flour and Premium Ragi.

The We Mill products are available on leading e-commerce platforms.

‘We Mill’ is a Rural Social Business initiative undertaken by Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement  (GRAAM) with corporate partner – Wuerth Elektronik India Pvt. Ltd. and CSIR-CFTRI (Central Food Technological Research Institute) for the necessary technical supporter – with rural wealth creation at the helm of the initiative.

We Mill is a Rural Social Business initiative, incorporated with the motive to not just empower the rural women but also add to the rural wealth creation.

The journey to creating the perfect We Mill `Box’ began with identifying a potential area to establish the manufacturing unit.

After finalising Bilikere of Hunsur taluk as a favourable location, potential women entrepreneurs belonging to various Self-Help Groups (SHG) of Sanjeevini-Karnataka, State Rural Livelihood Promotion (KSRLP) were shortlisted through an intensive selection process conducted by GRAAM.

This eventually led to the creation of Asare Sanjeevini Food Products, a Rural Social Business registered under the name of our 14-women entrepreneurs.