Commonwealth summit:Indian idea finds root in Dhaka

CHANDIGARH: For Selima Ahmad, a trip to India in 2007 had helped to create job opportunities for 400 women in Bangladesh by using the concept of cluster entrepreneurship, which she had learnt here. She along with three other women entrepreneurs from Bangladesh hope to take back more this year to improve their businesses and create job opportunities with the help of certain models that they introduced in the 11th Commonwealth ' India Small Business Competitiveness Development Programme this year.
''I was in India for a Commonwealth programme like this one back in 2007 in Kochi where I learnt about cluster entrepreneurship. I found the concept really interesting and I used it in Bangladesh. Six clusters with a total of 400 women were created. The work was mainly to do with handicrafts. The women started working quite well and we even took them to Dhaka International Trade fair where they managed to secure international orders and develop linkages,' said Ahmad, president of Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry. For other women entrepreneurs like Shaheen Akhtar and Nurun Neher, concepts like social entrepreneurship that were spoken of during the conference were of a great help.
''Social entrepreneurship means the involvement of many things and in India, it is quite successful, so we are planning to try this concept,' they said.