tEA empowers women vendors through digitalisation initiative

DIMAPUR — As part of its digitalisation initiative, the Entrepreneurs Associates (tEA) under the ‘Uplifting women street vendors programme’ distributed QR codes to 26 women street vendors at Sokhriezie market on Wednesday.

An update from tEA stated that the purpose of the programme was to connect with the women in their workstations and make the programme an integral part of their work life.

Speaking at the programme, tEA's operations supervisor, Chunjanglu Gracy, has emphasised on tEA's commitment to empower women vendors across the state and beyond. She informed that the QR code stands were provided to simplify transactions for women street vendors and include them in the digitalisation process.

Highlighting the need for women to update their skills to remain relevant in evolving markets, Gracy added that for the upcoming festive season, the usage of the QRs would be profitable for the women.

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It stated that many women have expressed gratitude to tEA for the assistance.

Soneinuo Metha (54) expressed her delight and shared, “Earlier, some of the customers would come and leave without buying as they would not carry cash and I didn’t have a QR code scanner. But now, I’m confident that my sales will be bountiful owing to this.”

Another vendor, Asanuo Kerestu (32) noted, "My customers used to have issues with online payment through my phone due to poor network connection in the market, but now with the QR code they can easily make their payments. I will forever be indebted to tEA for this assistance.”

Anungla Longmisa, a vendor from Sokhriezie market, received her first digital transaction of INR 700 within the first hour followed by a second transaction of INR 100, bringing smiles to the tEA staff present.

The women street vendors, who received QR codes, were from various locations including Officers Hill, Red Cross, Upper Chandmari, South Police Market, Red Cross, South Point Market, New Ministers Hill, PR Hill, Bamboo Market, and Sokhrieze Market.

It mentioned that the ‘Uplifting women street vendors programme’ is a flagship programme of tEA launched in October 2017 to empower women involved in the network of marketing farm produce. Till date, tEA has trained and worked with 7000 women street vendors in Nagaland, Manipur and Assam with plans to spread to other states in the North East over the next year.