FLO Pune, led by Chairperson Ms. Anita Agarwal, has been working under the MSME vertical to empower underprivileged women and marginalized communities through skill development, employment facilitation and access to government schemes.
The key highlights of the event are the spice-making training & certification that impacted 34 women from Scheduled Caste communities. The certified completed training aimed at equipping women with entrepreneurial and small business skills for self-sustenance.
1000+ forms were filled in the Vishwakarma Fund Scheme, over 350 women already received funding of ₹1,00,000 each. It also offered Loan Interest Rate at 4%, aiming to enable micro-business growth and entrepreneurial support.
In addition, the event featured the Sewing Machine Distribution & Toy-Making initiative, under which 350 sewing machines were procured and distributed through FLO’s NGO partners. Alongside the machines, materials for soft toy production were also provided to promote income generation from home-based setups. To strengthen health security, over 700 Ayushman Bharat health cards were facilitated for women labourers, providing financial protection under a ₹5 lakh insurance scheme for secondary and tertiary care.
30 women completed General Duty Assistant (GDA) training and have all been placed across reputed hospitals including Sahyadri, Sah Hospital, Shri Inn, and Vinod Hospital. Vocational skilling efforts continued through a collaboration with Arouh Jana Shikshan Sanstha, offering courses in tailoring, bag stitching, fashion design, beauty services, and seasonal skills like rakhi making.
Special emphasis was also placed on girls from ITI Pune, with the chapters fully funded training in cosmetology, interior and fashion design, and baking, supplemented with handholding and mentorship. Lastly, underprivileged 10th and 12th pass youth were supported in skill courses such as computer science, banking and finance, and artificial intelligence, equipping them for future-ready careers and enhancing digital literacy.
These initiatives reflect FLO Pune’s sustained commitment to inclusive growth and women’s economic empowerment. The MSME vertical continues to build capacity, support grassroots entrepreneurship, and create dignified livelihoods across multiple domains.