8 months ago
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It took implicit 108 years for the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), founded by Sir M. Visvesvaraya successful 1916, to get its archetypal pistillate president.
Uma Reddy took complaint arsenic the 92nd president of the commercialized body.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Reddy said that her people would beryllium to empower micro, tiny and mean enterprises (MSMEs) successful Karnataka with exertion and skills, make opportunities for women and youth, and to lend to sustainability and greenish system initiatives.
Ms. Reddy is the managing manager of Hitech Magnetics and Electronics, and nether her leadership, the institution has grown successful the specialised tract of powerfulness electronics, an country wherever women practice has been minimal.
An electrical technologist from the UVCE, Bengaluru, she has been successful the concern of manufacturing transformers and coils for physics and concern exertion for implicit 3 decades.
Excerpts from the interview:
You are the archetypal pistillate caput of FKCCI. Why bash women instrumentality clip to scope the top?
I person been with FKCCI for 20 years, and it is decidedly an honour for maine to person been elevated to the station of president. The infinitesimal is some personally important and historically meaningful arsenic I go the archetypal pistillate to clasp this presumption successful our 108-year legacy.
I judge that erstwhile I’ve taken implicit this mantle, determination would beryllium galore much women to instrumentality enactment roles successful the chambers of commerce. This milestone is not conscionable astir breaking barriers, but astir gathering bridges — for women, for MSMEs, and for Karnataka’s future. My imaginativeness is to marque FKCCI a level that champions innovation, inclusivity, and sustainable growth, portion carrying guardant the affluent bequest of this institution.
What is your proposal to women entrepreneurs successful peculiar and the commercialized assemblage successful general?
I judge that chambers of commerce are gender-neutral, and chamber leaders are portion of mainstream business. However, women leaders request to beryllium resilient and persevere to guarantee success.
The main nonsubjective of FKCCI has ever been argumentation advocacy, which is the pillar chromatic that supports a maturation of trade, manufacturing and work industry. The commercialized assemblage with implicit 5,000 direct members and implicit 2 lakh members, done its assorted territory associations, territory chambers, and associations, volition proceed to beryllium a facilitator successful easiness of doing business.
As president of FKCCI, what are the things that you would beryllium focusing on?
As a team, we privation to make FKCCI not lone Karnataka’s pride, but the world’s benchmark for inclusive, innovative, and impactful commerce. Let america empower MSME’s with exertion and skills, opportunities for women and youth, embrace, sustainability and greenish system and amplify Karnataka planetary footprint. In summation to its flagship events, FKCCI volition besides absorption connected accomplishment development, training, and exertion of technology.
You are taking implicit astatine a juncture erstwhile MSMEs are plagued with assorted interior and outer pressures including commercialized barriers. How bash you presumption this challenge?
Karnataka contributes 8 to 9% of India’s GDP, hosts implicit 400 Fortune 500 companies, and leads successful IT, biotech, abstraction research, and aerospace manufacturing. FKCCI’s relation is captious astatine this juncture successful presumption of addressing pressing issues specified arsenic rising operational costs, planetary competition, tariff issues, and financing hurdles for MSMEs.
A batch of enactment has to beryllium done arsenic a squad to further fortify FKCCI’s relation arsenic a span betwixt industry, government, and society. We volition besides heighten absorption connected strengthening the nexus between startups and industry, accomplishment improvement grooming connected exertion and nurturing agri tech businesses.
