Girls share their business success stories

New Delhi: After listening to

business

ideas thought of by girl students at a Delhi government school, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that the Business Blasters Programme empowered

girls

and made them self-reliant. And indeed, the

stories

of the Class XI students of Government Girls Senior Secondary School in south Delhi’s Pushp Vihar, would have gladdened many hearts.

Riya spoke about her mask business, started with the Rs 2,000 seed money provided under the scheme. She has earned Rs 10,000 in two months. She buys cloth from the wholesale market and set up an arrangement with a neighbourhood tailor who didn't have much work due to the Covid situation. “I asked him if he wanted to work with me, and he immediately said yes because he needed work to stay afloat,” said Riya.

Khushi and Lisa earned a profit of Rs 5,000 from seed money the two got of Rs 4,000. They started a bakery business and collaborated with local women who were good cooks. “The housewives learned the new skill of baking and we started taking orders for them during the holiday season and online. If I had been in a private school, my friend and I might have missed out on this opportunity of learning how to run a business,” said Khushi.

For Akriti Singh, the Business Blasters programme was not only useful in helping her father change his mindset about business, but also brought her profits. “I am now a seller on Amazon and Flipkart,” the teenager said proudly. “My father, an engineer, lost his job during the Covid lockdown and our financial situation was dire. So, with a seed capital of Rs 2,000, I began buying and collecting waste jars, cans, sauce bottles and so on. I began painting them and selling them on platforms like Flipkart and Amazon. I made a Rs 12,000 profit in two months during the festive season of Diwali and Christmas,” smiled Singh.

Other students also shared stories about their businesses. Vanshika, who has started a clothing business, got emotional seeing Sisodia. “I am so happy to see my inspiration in front of me that I am unable to control my emotions,” Vanshika mumbled. “We collect clothes from various sources, refurbish them and sell them to people who cannot afford high-priced clothing."